What's Wrong With Michael Today?

 

All too often lately, I find if I disagree with another person's viewpoint I spend the next minutes listening to, "What's wrong with Michael", rather than why my opinion is wrong, the other person is right, or we simply have a difference of opinion.

Today, I experienced what I think is an extreme example of, "What's wrong with Michael" or perhaps I was in conversation with someone from the "Abraham" Cult? We are out and about and stop at a coffee shop. A person next the sugar/cream/stir sticks, has an Esther and Jerry Hicks book.

I ask if they like the book. They nod yes.

I say, "I really liked their first book. Lots of good stuff. When I bought and listened to the four CD set, it did not sound believable."

"What do you mean?"

me: "It sounded like when Esther Hicks was channeling "Abraham", she sounded as if she was talking through a script, where occasionally she would pause, like she forgot the next line. Then she would continue".

"That's because of the difficulty of communication with Abraham, they had to pause to get the meaning exactly right."

me: "Okay. I guess we share a difference of opinion".

For the next minute, I listen to and mostly agree with comments about there being different planes of existence, different beings on these different planes, communication with these beings, etc. I do not agree about Esther Hicks channeling 'Abraham'.

I may as well have standing there making funny faces and laughing. This person is now visibly angry after their diatribe. I end the  'conversation' with, "You are correct".

I'm think, we have a difference of opinion, to each his own. I wonder, where in the Hick's books and channeling dialogue (?) is behavior like this person's behavior promoted? Nowhere of course.

I walk to my table, sit, chat and finish my tea, giving little thought to the conversation. We all have differing opinions. This exchange had been a little out of the ordinary, but stuff happens.

Leaving the coffee shop, I hold the door open for other Patrons who are coming in and leaving behind me. The fourth person coming out surprisingly, is the person with the Hick's book.

Standing in front of the door, blocking my exit and others entry, they launch into another tirade. The first ten seconds or so is on my poor thinking about the Hick's in general. The next seconds follow about how bad it is I do not believe the Hicks channeling is real. Followed up with - what is wrong with me, my thinking, my approach, my comments, etc, etc.

I spend my part listening and agreeing at times. I want an end to this inane ranting. It is an uncalled for over-reaction, and pointless. Customers are waiting at the blocked door, wanting to go inside and out.

The person becomes even more angry. This has become very, very personal for them. I can see the anger in their eyes. I listen again to why I am not only wrong about Esther Hicks, but how practically everything about me is flawed.

They finally run out of steam, turn and storm away. I am left with the impression they did not hear more than the first seconds of I did not believe Esther and Jerry Hicks were the real deal. They obviously are so angry, nothing I said was heard or matters.

I am not sure why my opinion of Jerry & Esther Hicks channeling Abraham - turned into this very personal and bitter rant. It is in the end, opinion. Maybe they are a member of the infamous Abraham Cult? 

About a year ago, I would write it off to the idea we were isolated for so long we forgot how to be civil in public. Now I wonder, I am attracting crazy for some reason? If this idea seems silly, listen to (read) this. This happened about six weeks ago. 

There is a man with his parked bicycle next to a store front door. As I walk by him to enter the store, I greet him (white man about 50) saying, "What's up Boss?"

He explodes into an immediate and very loud tirade with extreme gesturing and angry overtones. His abrupt verbal direction changes lose me as what he is so angry about. His ranting ends with the statement, the Government is controlling everything and every person in the Country. 

As he stops for a breath, I say, "You are probably right, have a good day". This leads to another immediate angry verbal tirade with gesturing about how can he possibly have a good day when he is being controlled? How can I have a good day as I am controlled too? I say once again, "Have a good day", and walk on.

Some days I wonder, am I attracting this behavior?

Forgotten Stress and Pain Release

I was watching a Documentary the other evening. I think it was called, "Heal". It was interesting, but nothing new, until they started talking about releasing hidden, forgotten and ignored pain and stress that went all the way back to childhood.

The idea is forgotten stressors act upon our body chemistry, causing autoimmune issues and certain types of disease because our body's healthy chemical balance has been suppressed for many years and less than stellar chemicals are roaming around in their place wreaking havoc on our well being.

This sounded like it was coming from Carney Row at the County Fair. I understand being stressed, but wasn't too sure I bought into the chemical imbalance that unrelieved stress brings about. Except they had a number of people including at least one person with stage four cancer who swore it is true, because they all reversed their illnesses through releasing hidden pain and stress.

The thought of buried, hidden stress release was a new idea to me. One of the experts in the Documentary said in his opinion there, 'is no one size fits all cure or fix'. Yoga and meditation in the morning may work for you, seeing a therapist for emotional issues may work better for me, as I understood his opinion.

The Documentary moved on to a Woman who was working with a practitioner who used EFT. EFT is interesting because it involves physical action to distract our brain. We repeat an EFT Practitioner's verbal suggestions while being physically distracted with tapping or rubbing or both.

At least that is my limited understanding from the documentary and one small EFT book I read some years ago. EFT is effective because it is a kind of distraction meditation. Spoken suggestions are put on a direct path to the brain because the subject is distracted with the physical distractions being induced by the EFT Practitioner.

In the Documentary, the EFT Practitioner was doing her thing, tapping away, and telling the patient to recall a painful moment, and at each memory recall, repeat the phrase, "I love you then", or something similar. Later in the show, the Woman claims her hidden pain and stress was eventually all gone (released), and her very serious health ailments had disappeared.

I like everyone else have long term and buried or forgotten pain and stressors hidden away in my brain. I decided because I meditate often, I would skip the EFT part and go with the, "I love you then" for the known stressors I could remember. I wasn't expecting a lot, because it seemed too simple. I am skeptical. I want proof.

I started with my biggest stress, 'White Coat Syndrome', and all the memories that keep it fresh and make me want to run, not walk out of Doctor and Dentist offices. The earliest memory I could recall was being six or seven years old sitting in a Dentist chair.

I was going to receive a shot of Novocaine for a drill and fill for a bad tooth. The Dentist who I suspected in later years was a drunk, put the glass Novocaine vial in the needle and moved it towards my mouth. It slipped and fell to the floor and broke.

He picked up the broken glass vial pieces and the now useless needle. He said, "This is your fault, you little shit", and stabbed the knuckles of my right hand with a piece of the broken Novocaine vial glass leaving me with a lifelong scar. Upon recalling this memory I said, "I love you then".

(The Dentist came up with a believable story he told my Mother afterward that was not questioned, of course as he was the Dentist - authority figure)

Now I am remembering other bad dental and medical memories that made their long forgotten presence known, followed with my repeated, "I love you then" comments. Time disappeared replaced with, "I love you then" comments flowing through my mind at each remembered memory.

I realized something changed after a (unknown period of) time. The voice saying, "I love you then", was not my voice. It was coming from somewhere else, and the memories of painful and stressful times of my life arrived without any prompting. I was now a watching, hearing observer of those times in my life that stressed me out or caused pain, of which I had long ago forgotten about.

When I 'awoke' some time later, I knew I still wasn't through with the memory recall and the, "I love you then", comments. Amazingly, I felt like one-hundred pounds of just below skin level stress had left me! I felt so relaxed, I thought if I were to take my blood pressure, I would probably be concerned because it would be so low.

If you are used to meditating, you may be able to duplicate the results I did without any EFT stimulus. If you do not meditate, you may want to read up on EFT, and pick a few EFT movements that feel right for you as you try out the process. Better yet, find an EFT trained person to work with you.

I do not know what exactly happened during my experience, or if my body's chemical structure has started to change, but something good definitely took place. I felt so at peace and relaxed, it felt abnormal in the moment.

Twenty-four or so hours later, it feels a little hokey writing this. I still feel very calm and at peace with the world. Something definitely changed from the time I decided to try this process to the time I stopped. I will be doing this again, perhaps many times, until I feel there is no more hidden stress and pain to release. I highly recommend you try this process. I am still skeptical about the process. I am looking forward to some months in the future to see what lasting changes have taken place.

I Will Meet You When you Pass

 

This is a story that started almost fifty years ago. The ending won't be known until a future time.

I was maybe 22 years old and wild. My summertime life consisted of fishing and weekend parties with usually over fifty hours of work per week thrown in to provide balance. In winter life was not much different. I usually had one day off a week. I worked the afternoon shift and sometime Sunday mornings when someone did not show up.

It was a warm summer evening, and my friends and I decided to go to sit in a hot springs and drink some beer. Somewhere along the line, between getting off of work and the hot springs, a couple of Women decided they wanted to join us. I did not know either of them.

One of the two women took a liking to me, though I have no clue why. I was not looking for a girlfriend, and made no sign I was. I'll call her Keri. Keri had recently moved into town. She was a pleasant, easy going, very likable (I thought) young woman, though her life was a lot quieter than mine. I was curious how she fell into our group that night.

I really enjoyed Keri's company. Other than our night and day lifestyle differences we were a good fit, almost too good. Keri worked days, I worked afternoons. We had different days off. I was bent on self destruction and she was focused on having a normal, sane life and fun friends. Keri did not care to drink, which limited her party time and any extra time we may have had together.

We saw each other on and off for about six months. Keri decided it was time to go back home. All work, and no real fun was no life for her. She missed her friends and her more normal social life. We spent her last day in town together. It was one of the best days of my life back then, though I did not appreciate it how good it was in the moment. I now occasionally wish the day could have gone for a week. It wasn't meant to be.

I would think of Keri now and then over the years. Wondering how she was doing. I imagined she was happily married and had a family. I had no doubt she was a good friend, wife, and mother. She had that kind of personality. I wished her the best whenever I thought of her.

A few months ago, I found she was on my mind - a lot. Almost like a cloud of Keri was surrounding me. No matter what I was doing, thoughts of Keri would seep into my mind. Why the sudden feeling she was around me and in my thoughts?

A few days later in a dream, Keri was talking to me. Keri told me she had passed on. Keri said she had a good life and a family, and had no regrets about her life. Then came the bomb shell.

Keri told me she would be there to greet me when it was my time to pass. Then the dream was over. I woke up and this dream was the only thing on my mind. Keri would be there to meet me when I passed.

My thoughts were all over the place. Was I going to die soon and did not know it? Why would I have a dream like this? It was not an empty dream, there must be some meaning in it.

A few days later, the feeling of Keri being around me was back. Because I am a cynic, I had a plan. I told the  Keri presence, if that was not a dream, and she was who she said she was, and she would be there to meet me when I passed, I wanted some type of proof, that this was not my imagination. I wanted an irrefutable sign.

A couple days went by, and no sign it was anything but a dream and unaccounted for feelings. I was starting to think it was all my imagination. Six days later, in the evening I was reading the news on my computer. There was a small story about the town of Keri, in Keri county. It seems a small brush fire was started right outside of town, about ten to fifteen acres were burned before it went out, or was put out. The article did not mention how it started or why it went out.

There I was sitting wondering if this was the proof I asked for, or some wild billion to one coincidence? What are the odds of a town and county named Keri making the news for such a small event, and that I would be reading about it?

Unlike older ill people I have spoken with in the past, who said they dreamed dead relatives were coming to get them, I do not feel this was some ominous warning. Perhaps it is what it is, and this women who I knew for such a short time for whatever reason wants me to know that when it is my time, I won't be alone, and Keri will be there to meet me.

Or perhaps it is entirely a coincidence? I am really undecided, and I am guessing I won't know, until I know. In the mean time I feel comfort by the thought. You will have to decide the ending as I won't be able to provide the ending.

Surreal Choice, Real Life Decision

I was five years old, going down the stairs, then out the door to meet my friends when she appeared. If I had known the word, I would have called her an apparition or illusion. How can a very tall woman, stand in the door, above the door and in the wall, and make it look normal?

I immediately knew who she was, yet I did not know who she was. She was dressed in a brown pants suit with thin, vertical, darker brown stripes and a brown hat. She had brown hair and kind of a housewife appearance, though I knew she was not a housewife. She was not someone to trifle with, if for no other reason than her sudden appearance scaring the heck out of me. To this day I do not remember her eye color or if she wore nail polish or not. She did have a purse of brown leather and brown shoes.

Her voice was stern. "Well", she said, "are you going to do it or not?" As I did not have a thought in my head other than finding some friends outside to play with, it was not obvious to my child’s mind what her question meant. I did know by the tone of her voice, that this was a very serious question and my answer should be carefully thought over.

She repeated, "Are you going to do it?" It was the most awkward thing, trying to come up with an answer when there is only fog surrounding the question and a blank for an answer. I found myself thinking back to an earlier time, before I was here, before I was born.

I was an adult somewhere standing around with a few other people,  talking about what was next for all of us. I declared I was going to create a technology that would change the world in unimaginable ways. It would be the greatest gift for mankind ever known. Someone asked if I was sure. Of course I am sure. Now, I am here in this world, a child being asked if I am sure?

I was barely enough to know that two and two equals four, and here I was being asked a question I didn't really understand. It wasn't even a thought until this moment when she asked her question. Me standing on the third stair from the floor, my descent blocked by this woman who simply appeared and blocked the way.

I knew I had to give her an answer and what ever answer I gave her was binding. In this moment I had a choice. After my answer, there would no longer be a choice. It took no more than a few seconds, but took decision making to a level that was beyond abstract for a child's mind, to put it simply.

"No", I said, "I am not going to do it."

I arrived at this answer by thinking of everything I knew about modern technology and what we (mankind) has done with it. Everything firstly had been used for the destruction of other Humans in one way or another. I was not going to be part of a perpetual world killing machine.

She stared down at me, and asked if I was sure. "No, I am not going to do it." "Very well, your life plan is erased." In an instant she was gone.

More than six decades later, I can still visualize the scene. This giant Woman standing where it was impossible to stand. Blocking my exit and demanding an answer to a question that had no meaning until that moment, when a before being born memory came flooding in from a place I could not remember being at, talking about something I did not until that moment remember.

My decision on that spring morning changed my life in ways lives are rarely changed. My life path was erased. My only direction my life was the direction I applied it to each day. It was akin to a sail boat with no rudder. I listened to other kids tell me what they were going to be when they grew up. I felt as if I only had two vague choices for my life, do good or do something else.

Now I am still at peace with my decision. I could not have lived with the guilt and horror I may have brought to this world, and the people that would have died as a result of my trying to do improve the world.

Surreal as it seems, this was an event that fashioned my life in ways I never could have imagined. I have the freedom to follow whatever life direction, randomness and chance send my way. Mine has been a difficult, frustrating yet liberating life. Made possible, by an event that perhaps did not exist.

I Want to Play Monster

I want to Play Monster - Neither of these images are what I interacted with....only close to

It is about 10:40 P.M. and I am in bed, very sick from something. I have been in bed, sleeping off an on for a few hours now. I am not deep asleep, neither am I awake. This may have been a Lucid Dream, I really do not know, it was that real. I hear something quietly, slowly, rhythmically thumping against the bedroom wall on the left side of the window at the foot of the bed.

The sound continues, and I know it is nothing, so I say firmly, "Stop it, I want to sleep". The sound stops. Now the bottom of the bed on the side the sound was coming from is being rhythmically pushed and released slowly. At first I think it is my imagination and I ignore it.

After the third push and release I say, "Go away, I want to sleep.", hoping this is the end of it, whatever "it" is. I hear a voice quietly say to me, "I want to play Monster". 

I can't think of any other recent dream, where my attention was so fully caught. I came out of what was a deep sleep, to sense a large something standing at the far end of the bed. It was about six feet tall, plus the horns. Black on the bottom, cream on top, with a skull like face, and what appeared to be deer antlers facing backwards.

It certainly looked capable of, "Playing Monster", ugly and scary all rolled into one. WTF!, I think. What in the world is this thing, and what am I supposed to do with or about it? "I want to play Monster", says the voice again a little more persistent.

Well the hell!, I am thinking. In the first place what are you and how am I supposed to help you play Monster? I am wide awake now, and nothing has changed. I do know one thing, I am not playing "Monster", or anything else with you.

I have an idea. Half filled with disgust, and half wondering what is going to happen, I take it by its right sleeve and say, "follow me". We both step through the bedroom wall into the back yard. 

It is tall as I mentioned, about six feet, maybe more. Built like a man but with black horses legs instead of man legs. Wide across the shoulders and a face that never really comes into focus, but looks like dried bone with movement. On top of it's head is dark fur and a rack of reversed deer horns. The look is good, but the horns are backwards and do not seem practical for what horns are normally used for.

I decide I know where I am going to take it after all. There was no thinking process per say, it just happened. Down the street to another street, then to about fifty yards from the stoplight there is a tunnel under the road. There is a bike path near the exit of the tunnel, a walking path near the entrance, and a walking/bike path above. Across the street is a square mile or so of houses. Perfect place to play Monster. I decide we are going to take a shortcut.

I tell it to follow me and start running to the fence. The "Thing" doesn't move that fast. Surprisingly I clear the fence. The "Thing" doesn't clear the top and to my surprise, it sinks into and through the brick wall fence without breaking loose any bricks.

We run as fast as it can across the street, and through the next fence, across the yard, and through the outer fence. This is much simpler than jumping I am thinking (How casual I am in the moment). We are moving like ghosts. We run down the path to the tunnel, and I stop.

"In there", I say. It looks around and then looks to where I am pointing. "I like it", it says. I explain the layout and why it is a great place to play, "Monster". It agrees and runs into the tunnel out of sight.

I run back to the bedroom much faster than I ran to the spot where I left it. I am getting ready to walk through the wall back into my bedroom when another one shows up. This one acts like a teenage boy, or at least my perception of it. "I want to play, Monster too?", and then asks me where the other is.

I am feeling really sick and tired and just want to get into bed and sleep. I tell it, "It is over there a ways, use your sense of smell and follow its scent". It huffs, then snorts, and shuffles off to join its kin. I go back to bed and fall asleep again. Nothing at all unusual going on here.

I wake up about 3:30, and I am thinking WTF!?!? Was that a dream or was that somehow real? It had to be a dream, but it was at the same time so real. The clincher for me was two things. I am not scared of, "Monsters", in any shape or form. I have never learned of anyone being hurt by one no matter how scary they may look. 

Finally, everything was so detailed, from the soft, quiet bumps on the wall of the bedroom, to the movement of the bed from being pushed and released. The detailed run down to the tunnel and back was precise. Besides running through the fence walls, it could be duplicated. Finally, the second one showing up. Where would that come from and why? Wasn't one enough?

I searched the Web, and the closest I could find was a Wendigo. They are not supposed to be around here. However these two, whatever they are, were not evil, emaciated, or hungry as far as I could understand. The first one, if it was put out that I was not terrified, did not show it in any way. The second one when it showed up, started talking as our conversation was taking place in daylight on the sidewalk, completely normal. I'm thinking Wendigo is not what they are. Close, but no cigar, as the saying goes.

 

It is now four days later as I write this, and every detail is as vivid as if it happened this morning. If there is anything unusual happening at the, "Tunnel", I haven't heard of it yet. As for the, "Things", I prefer the word, "Beings", if they are real and not in my dream, they are happy where they are, playing "Monster". If it is all the same to them, I won't feel bad if I never see them again. Not because I am afraid, but I would rather have my doubts about whether it was a dream or not.

Xubuntu Linux - Still Refreshingly Boring

Xubuntu Screenshot

Xubuntu is an easy Linux Distribution to like, if you prefer the XFCE desktop. The yeh-sayers of XFCE promote its lighter demands on the system. I like XFCE because it fits what I want in a desktop, especially XFCE Version 4.16. I am always willing to trade bling for functionality.

Xubuntu or Ubuntu in general is created out of the Debian Testing Repository which places Xubuntu high on the list for those wanting to be closer to the bleeding edge. If you want to get a little closer, skip the LTS and go for the interim releases that have a shorter lifespan.

Detractors of Xubuntu at a user level, exclaim Xubuntu is boring, boring, boring. I tend to agree with this claim. Xubuntu in the moment or Xubuntu of ten years ago looks and acts as the same distribution. Personally I find this boring-ness refreshing. To each his/her own. I am okay with boring.

Xubuntu may be Ubuntu's most popular flavor out there, so many people are okay with sameness. Because in the moment, my computer is months rather than years old, everything works as expected. The numbers of Linux distributions I can use are fairly limited and Xubuntu is one of them.

If you are on the other end with an older computer, Xubuntu will work just as well for you because it's requirements are not as CPU intensive as some other desktop environments. If your needs are that of a general user, you may find that you do not need to add any additional applications as Xubuntu comes well stocked.

I do not care for Snap packages. I removed them shortly after I added the additional applications I use. This resulted in extra steps for removing Snap packages as some of the software I added arrived in the form of Snap packages. It was only an extra thirty minutes in removal and adding PPA's or adding .deb packages from the websites.

The arguments for and against Snap packages go on forever. They start with memory and end somewhere after losing control of your system, as the Snap package dictates the settings. I am at this end of the arguments. I use Firefox web browser across a number of computers. I have Firefox synced on all of them.

The first time I used Firefox as a Snap package, it didn't look right. I made adjustments so it looked as I thought it should. As I used the other computers which did not support Snap packaging, the settings made a mess out of Firefox. Adjusting the settings on a non Snap Firefox brought me back to square one with the Snap version.

Xubuntu and Ubuntu in general have two releases. LTS or Long Term Support for five years from release and interim releases, released every six months. Needless to say as in the case of XFCE, if you want to try out and use XFCE 4.16 in the moment, you need to use the interim release. Eventually what works well in the interim release filters down to LTS releases, and the rest is left at the roadside.

Ubuntu in general carries a lot of baggage. It has been accused of spying on its users, ignoring its user in promotion of its paid support options, and not sharing system improvements with Debian as much as they take from Debian for their own use.

There are a few other commercial Linux Companies out there and I am sure they all carry their own baggage. Xubuntu and its kin are user supported and in some ways not as directly influenced by Ubuntu's owners. The murky details of these relationships is another matter however.

Sex. Lies, and Politics adorn most conversation these days. Ubuntu and it's siblings are no exception. You can read about Ubuntu on Wikipedia as a reference point and make up your own mind on what is acceptable for your Linux Distribution. That is your own decision and choice.

For information, I added these packages to my install of Xubuntu. You may want more or less or none at all. Zim, FeatherPad, Pan, Brave Browser, Audacity, Celluloid, Cheese, Chrome, Gparted, Gnome Weather App.

Important -- Synaptic Package Manner is on the menu. Synaptic is the go to for me for non Snap packages and for other distributions. Do not use Synaptic to update or upgrade your system. Wait for Software (on the menu) to tell when you have updates. 

I forgot this interim Xubuntu is using packages from Debian Testing. I downloaded almost 500 mg of updates via Synaptic, and ended up reinstalling Xubuntu because the updates where not stable and borked my install. Do not do what I did. Use, "Software" for any needed system updates.

In closing, if you want to be close to the leading edge, want a stable Linux distribution, don't mind being bored with well oiled sameness, you can do a lot worse than an interim  Xubuntu release as your distribution of choice. If you want better stability with install and forget it, use the Xubuntu LTS release.

Gluten Intolerance - The Hidden Illness

I spent over forty years of my life not knowing I was [wheat] Gluten Intolerant. One doctor even suggested I was faking an imaginary illness, and wasting his time. Instant Illness and recovery was a roller coaster ride with no explanation.

Gluten intolerance when I was young was practically unknown. My father had it and was not aware of it. In the last year of his life, his stomach would swell, looking like he swallowed a basketball. He would be in great pain from the swelling.

The doctors in our area at the time were ignorant of gluten intolerance. All the doctors agreed on, was when a patient's stomach swelled like that, they had between six months and a year to live. My Father was no exception to that rule.

Though I did not know it at the time, my first symptoms came in the form of brutal hangovers. Most people have a hangover that lasts for part of a day. Mine would last two to three days.

At first I thought it was drinking too much. I paid attention to the amount I drank and found it was what I drank, not how much. If I drank wine, the next day I would feel pretty normal. If I drank beer, it was a totally different story. I would be sick for a couple of days.

In my thirties came my insta-sick problem. I suffered from extreme tiredness at times. Feeling like I had been exercising for hours and was completely worn out. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. For no reason I would feel like I had the flu, minus the fever. It would last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Some family members had thyroid conditions, with two having their thyroids removed. I was sure thyroid was my problem. Thus started my search for relief from the Doctor's, "Nothing wrong with you", declarations.

After a slew of doctors and continuing negative thyroid tests, my thyroid was boringly normal. They also agreed en mass I did not have Lupus. One doctor offered Seasonal Area Depression as a cause, but that only explained the winter months. Finally, I gave up on doctors finding what was wrong with me.

I was cruising into my forties around this time. I started keeping a food, exercise and illness log. Nothing seemed to relate to my feeling bad. Whether I ate salads, vegetables, or meat and potatoes, sudden flu like symptoms came and went. I had a cycles of constipation followed by diarrhea. Joint pain joined my list of complaints. Then another oddity. I dropped floaters and they smelled sour almost like vinegar. It did not seem to matter what I ate.

One day I received a call, and the caller told me after five doctors they found a cause for their mood swings and our shared flu like symptoms. What was Gluten Intolerance I asked? I had never heard of it. After it was explained to me, I thought, well this can't be me, I generally eat wheat cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and bread with dinner and I am okay.

I gave it a try. After four days of no wheat products, I woke up feeling literally thirty years younger. I did not believe it was possible to feel so good! To say eating gluten free is a lifestyle change is to say climate change is a minor inconvenience.

If you go through constant periods of bloating, constipation, convulsive diarrhea, illness and fatigue, you may be gluten intolerant. There is of course a blood test you can take, but the simplest test is go on a completely grain free diet for a week and see how you feel.

Gluten Intolerance is a real problem, and hides itself as a cold, flu, allergy, and food poisoning part of your thinking process. Gluten Intolerance hides very well. There is always a reasonable explanation of why you feel so poorly. It was thought to mostly affect people of European descent, but as the years roll by, they know now people from every nationality suffer from it.

There is a blood test you can get. The easiest test is giving up every food with grain in it including liquids for a week. Read the label of every food you put into your mouth. If after a week of not eating, drinking, or ingesting wheat gluten in all it's forms, you do not feel like a new person, wheat gluten may not be your unknown issue.

Giving up wheat gluten means reading labels of every food you eat, even your soap and shampoo and lotion. If you wear makeup, you need to read the ingredients of it too. When you eat out, there may be wheat gluten on your french fries or in your mashed potatoes. Almost always on breaded foods, such as fried fish. Cheese and ice cream contain gluten because it is a cheap thickener. If you can not identify the ingredients as you look at it, it probably has wheat in some form in it. Thank the food industry for this.

This is taken my own experience with Gluten Intolerance, so take what I wrote for what it is worth. 

Here are a couple of links for further reading, if this is of interest to you:

Hidden Sources of Gluten

8 Foods to Avoid with a Gluten Intolerance (and 7 to Eat)

Sources of Gluten

In my opinion, the food industry is out of control. Almost all, "Oat Cereals" contain large amounts of wheat. Much of the food we eat has some form of wheat gluten in it. About every third bowl of a GMO oat cereal causes me problems. Soaps and shampoos are a minefield of inflammatory dangerous chemicals that make me sick for the sake of profit.