Greetings!
My symptoms include inability to focus on small details, delusional optimism, failure to take in information, extreme distractibility, and loss of sense of time, just to name a few. Early onset Alzheimer's? Good guess but no. I've been officially diagnosed with HHCIB Syndrome. In retrospect I have been suffering with this for most of my adult life.
HHCIB Syndrome also known as "How Hard Can it Be Syndrome" has been the bane of my life. I come up with amazing ideas, look at them from a 10,000 foot view, say to myself "how hard could it possibly be??", set a completely unrealistic deadline and much like Don Quixote charge with my plastic sword at the windmill. Most recently we decided to move our family and our kitchen to Texas.
Rebecca Says: Yay! We've lived in the same place for 13 years and I've needed to declutter for some time now - bonus! But I feel terrible that we won't be delivering our goodies for a few months to all of the amazing customers we have. Hmmm.... no problem! I already have all the recipes and the pictures - let's launch the long awaited cookbook.
Quentin (Rebecca's amazing husband who does NOT suffer from HHCIB) says: At the same time? Are you sure? Moving is really hard and stressful honey. You shouldn't take on so much.
Rebecca (having a full blown HHCIB episode) says: You think? Really. How hard can it be? I don't want most of this stuff anyway. Between a couple of garage sales, Craigslist and friends, we'll be decluttered and packed up in no time at all. And the recipe book? The hard work is already done. No problem. I'll just put it together, get it formatted and launch. Again, seriously, how hard can it be?
Three months later, sanity returns. Some progress has been made, things are finally coming together but we're not there yet. Reality hits like a sonic boom in my brain. What was I thinking? Daily emails from sweet customers wondering if they missed the cookbook and can they still get it. Hiding from Facebook because I'm not done yet and I don't want anyone to ask. Could this silly HHCIB thing be why they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions??
In all seriousness, there is nothing like a huge move across the country to make you re-evaluate your life and priorities. HHCIB may not be a "real" diagnosis but it definitely should be for me and for other lovelies in my life as well. An easy declutter and one moving truck became FOUR trips between houses, a slightly off seller who wanted to stay in our new home after turning over the keys so HE could declutter and a house fire our first night in our new home. Not to mention encounters with scorpions, fire ants and an 8 foot snake who left his old skin on our front step as a housewarming present. Good Lord! My new "perfect kitchen" wasn't the first facility we moved in to OR the second but we have found a wonderful new home for Pure Market on the third time hauling our entire kitchen across the Austin metro which was just finished yesterday. HHCIB?? Really hard!
I don't believe good things are easy things. My marriage is the best, absolute most wonderful thing in my life but easy? Uh no. My children? They are my joy and my heart. The sun rises and sets with them. But easy? Not by a long shot. That being said, sometimes when roadblocks continue to pop up in front of a dream, a reassessment is in order. How did I get here? Is this still what I really want? What price am I still willing to pay to achieve this dream/goal? What price have I truly paid so far? Am I providing anything there is really a need for?
The last question is easiest. As I work my way through new grocery stores and connect all the dots of living in a new area, the obvious answer is YES. So many people are slowly killing themselves through what they put in their mouths. It's heartbreaking. I know healthy living can taste just as good and be just as crave worthy as any box or drive through. I know it doesn't have to be time consuming or difficult. My soul hurts to see the state of the health of our nation and see people turning to pills, stomach stapling and useless fads and gadgets to fix it.
The harder question is: Does Pure Market Express fix the problem? Well, we make healthy eating easier, faster, less stressful. We provide access to organic, gluten free food wherever they may live. That certainly helps. But does it fix the problem? Can raw vegan meal delivery really change the face of health in our country to healthy radiance? As I swallow the lump in my throat, I have to admit the answer is no.
I am a huge proponent of empowerment. One of the main reasons Quentin and I have chosen to home educate our children is we wanted them to learn to THINK, to learn to depend not on their rote knowledge or something they could regurgitate to a teacher but to depend instead on their ingenuity, creativity and ability to FIND the answer they need and if no answer exists to CREATE the answer they need. One of the most depressing, irritating statements I hear is "I can't", but even worse, like nails on the chalkboard of my mind is "I can't because _____".
- I can't because I don't like health food
- I can't because my kids won't like it
- I can't because I am too busy
- I can't because I don't know how
For those of you who know me personally and have seen someone say one of those things to me you may have witnessed my eyes glaze momentarily while my brain screams YES YOU CAN! Then I would click in again and put my arm around their shoulder and show them all the yummy goodies we could create to open their eyes to the world of radiant living. And ya know what? 9 times out of ten, the person would walk away knowing that I, me Rebecca Irey, can create yummy healthy food. They would leave just as convinced that I was different and THEY could never do such a thing. They weren't talented enough or didn't know enough or any one of a zillion excuses not to make a change. It was always that special 10th person whose eyes would light up with amazement and empowerment that would fill my heart and keep me going.
Moving the kitchen FORCED me to stop. Stop just assuming this was the right way. Stop and assess and reassess. To look at the face of my husband and my children and hear their voices and opinions. Stop. Breathe. Pray. Listen. Breathe again. Pray some more. Listen again.
Self empowerment is woven into my soul. I can do anything, learn anything, accomplish anything I set my mind to. And so can anyone else. Regardless of my past, divorced parents, less than perfect growing up, starting life poor with really no opportunity, being fat, losing a child, blah blah blah. Hard? Yes. An excuse for not trying? Absolutely not. I CAN OVERCOME AND SO CAN YOU. This is the mantra of my soul.
"I can't because _________" makes me want to do backflips of frustration. I don't need anyone to take care of me. I need support, guidance, love, coaching but a hand out? Never. Don't GIVE me the answer - show me how to FIND the answer. That is love. It is not easy but it is love.
Pure Market Express has spent four years selling the proverbial fish. That will not change the world. We are only one in huge marketplace of people hawking their own fish. I passionately truly believe that anyone can learn to easily incorporate healthy radiant eating habits into their life and thereby revolutionize their health. I cannot give up the mission but I CAN change the method. I can teach people to find/create/manifest their OWN proverbial fish.
So get to the point already? Okay. Here is the short update for all of you who are like me and scan down to the bottom of any newsletter for the bottom line of things. :0)
The Pure Market Express kitchen will not be re-opening. Our recipes will be published in a book. Our website as you know it will in essence re-open but rather than purchasing food, you will be able to download videos of me personally making each dish in my own kitchen, revealing the magic of each Pure Market dish so you can create your OWN magic - easy, simple and fast in your own kitchen. Want more than recipes? Great. I will be launching a very small coaching group for those of you who want to know the tips and tricks of really changing your whole life to radiant living.
Pure Market Express desserts will continue to be made and be in stores (this is our yummy "bait" - a yummy invitation to a new way of eating). We can now be found in Northern California Whole Foods, Minneapolis Whole Foods and coming to Southern California Whole Foods in September as well as over 500 other stores across the nation.
I will also be available for one on one coaching sessions via phone or Skype for those that just want their own questions answered.
Timeline? This is the big question isn't it? My HHCIB is fighting hard....say September 1st! It's 5 whole days you can accomplish anything in FIVE DAYS. [**Sidebar: I wrote this on August 26th.... After September 1st, I was convinced September 15th was the right date. My husband read it and reminded me to pray, breathe and pray some more - in other words take my meds for HHCIB!] Realistically the book should be available for online orders by November 15th and the videos will be added each week to the website for download at a slower pace starting with our most popular and working through the entire menu. I will put coaching and mentoring updates in next weeks letter and on Facebook.
Thank you all for your love and support. For all of you in Minnesota who helped and got us around the bend and all the new friends in our new home who have welcomed us into your lives and hearts, we are grateful. The Irey family is truly excited to begin a new chapter of this radiant manifestation we call Pure Market Express.
Radiantly yours,
