Why? I Do

A recent media article points out the obvious question about my 2013 challenge to only eat/drink Starbucks… WHY?

Well, that’s just one of the questions I get from people. Really, the curiosity ranges from the obvious like costs and weight gain to almost any other topic you can think of from store design, to menus, likes and dislikes and eventually leads to questions like “what about this?” or “what about that?” And then over the course of a conversation I see people start coming up with less questions about why and how I will complete this challenge but start suggesting and creating more and more ideas and content for my year with their own curiosities. And you know what? “VOILA” I think to myself! NOW they are getting why I do the challenges I do!

See even though there are a million reasons anybody can do anything (ego, popularity, discovery, benefit, etc.) it is those questions that leave you with more questions… those questions that eventually work your mind into breaking down the how and why of something and start becoming the “what if” and “what about that!” thoughts that I love about what I do! Life is curious… Life is unique… Life is about asking questions, no matter how small, silly or profound so that you can find out what is TRUE for YOU and sometimes see if its true for others as well.

So how can eating only one company’s products impact me, anybody? Well Mr. McDonald’s already proved that question years ago with his documentary and Mr. Subway did his take on the loosing weight portion of the food challenges too. But when I watched those guys doing their thing I asked myself “where are the WOMEN challenging themselves in the world?” “Where are the effects being shown on a woman’s culture? A woman’s family & children? A woman’s diet, weight, fashion, checkbook, community and world through challenges?” “Where is HER VOICE on how an international company is directly or indirectly impacting everything from her waistline to her bottom line and every other woman’s, man’s, child’s, societies and planets world with their presence?”

Here I say. Here is one of “her” voices in this one suburban-Seattle mothers visions, ideas, actions and reactions to questions that might seem small, trivial or misunderstood but that at least offer HER perspective!

As with most of life’s challenging questions about WHY?… things start out with reservation and hesitation, even fear, loathing, upset or ridicule. But it’s what that questioning LEADS TO… the ideas, the engagement, the creativity, the expression, the INVOLVEMENT in life that make my questions, my challenges, my voice of only eating/drinking Starbucks for a year all the more sweet. Because it is the question itself that brings us to what it is to be a woman, a mother, a blogger, a eater and drinker of only Starbucks for a year, basically… what it is to be a HUMAN.

And THAT, no matter how many times the question WHY? is asked, or by whom, or for what reason, is ALWAYS going to be your answer.

So again, WHY? am I doing this challenge? Or WHY? will I do any challenge in the future? Because I LOVE being human and I LOVE the privilege of being able to ask the question WHY? in the first place! I love the question WHY? because sometimes I find that the answer leaves me with even more questions about life… and then, my circle starts all over again and I wouldn’t want my WHY? any other way.

Thanks Linda for asking… and for everybody that is interested in asking WHY? themselves!