Take a Big Bite Out of Life

This post written by Philip Li-Wei Julio Chen, Mississauga, ON. Excerpt from "The IDEAL WAY to Cook: Food for Thought".

Flipping through the pages of a seemingly perfect spring edition of Martha Stewart's Living magazine, one finds innumberable recipes, with lists of natural ingredients alongside cooking instructions. What is not mentioned in such lists, but remains of great importance to the resulting taste, are the chef's experiences, those of his/her assistants, the available kitchenware and the overall condition of the kitchen under which these ingredients are prepared.

While studying Health Sciences at university, I similarly examined the "recipe" for "health". In doing so, I was instructed to put on a pair of biomedical lenses, filtering out personal experiences, the available resources and social conditions. Moreover, this biomedical lens prompted me to mechanically dissect the concept of health into pathological terms, cell counts and malfunctioning body parts. And finally, to discard the pith - the person - as a whole.

My experiences with people who have different abilities and needs have opened up my eyes and helped me to recognize that beyond the absence of disease, health is a state of well-being, deeply connected to engaging human connections, meaningful occupation, the environment, a lived spiritualityand one's right to expression and curiosity. By putting "the person" back into the recipe, we are able to focus on everyone's unique abilities and strengths, as well as understand that being alive and living are two vastly different flavours.

Furthermore, working with people with different abilities in therapeutic programs has taught me just how grand life is. A vivid memory comes to mind: a young adult succeeding in writing his own name independently for the first time in his life exclaims, "Oh, look, I can write my name! I can do it!" In this fast-paced world, we have forgotten to appreciate our body and mind. We take our different abilities for granted; we have forgotten to celebrate.

Yes, you can do it! Celebrate every accomplishment, big or small.

Appreciate your mind and your body.

And go ahead, take a big bite out of life and savour health in its entirety and the joy of living.

What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?

"In community people care for each other and not just for the community in the abstract, as a whole, as an institution or as an ideal way of life. It is people that matter; to love and care for the people that are there, just as they are. It is to care for them in such a way that they may grow according to the plan of God and thus give much life. And it is not just caring in a passing way, but in a permanent way. Because people are bonded one to another, they make up one family, one people, one flock. And this people has been called together to be a sign and a witness, to accomplish a particular mission wish is their charism, their gift.

Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, p. 20


“Some days it's easier to say thank you world, thank you! Some days it's easier to look in the mirror than others. Some days it's easier to laugh at everything and feel the pure happiness of life. Some days it's easier to walk in your shoes and understand how you feel.”

Life & Art -- Misty Mawn.


Let’s face it, some days it is easier to look in the mirror than others. But, as the author pointed out in What Came Down Today,



“Joy is not something that you get handed, you have to seek it out. Today, in the midst of work and appointments and bill paying, and the general lub-lub of Monday, do like me and seek out something joyful.”

Or, to put it another way: "I chose joy rather than overwhelm and it changed everything," as Aprille Janes said in her blog post, "Choose Joy."

In a previous post, “Choose Joy”, my daughter wrote about the power of choice. One person who embodies joy, for her, is Robert Hajjar, Founding Director of IDEAL-WAY.ca. "Rob, who has Down syndrome, constantly exudes happiness and warmth. He doesn't waste time with negativity, but chooses, instead, to revel in life's gifts.” After making “a few small changes”, she was able to “experience what Rob must feel every day: a sense of contentment and appreciation for life.”

So, in a nutshell, what is Rob’s secret? To give you a clue, on the Sept. 12th - 13th weekend, in Hamilton, Ontario, Robert Hajjar was the featured keynote speaker at the Best Buddies National Leadership Conference.

After hearing Robert's inspiring words, Zack Langille, a 15-yr-old student, and a buddy, said, "I had a great time and learned a lot, but I was really inspired and moved by a man named Rob Hajjar. Rob Hajjar has founded an organization called IDEAL.WAY.ca. He travels to conferences, schools and such to teach people about others with intellectual disabilities. And to believe a man can do all of this, even having Down syndrome himself. It is amazing how much one person can change your life, and it is truly inspiring to know that anyone can.”

(In fact, Zack was so moved by Robert’s words that he created a group on Facebook: “Get Rob Hajjar on Ellen!” "Rob's dream is to one day be on the Ellen Degeneres Show, and I am trying to help him reach that goal. All I am asking is to click on the link, and apply him on the "how to be on the show" section of Ellen's website.”)

After hearing Robert’s inspiring words, what do I see when I look in the mirror? I see ability: the ability to choose joy every single day, rather than 'some days.' I also see a slew of post-it notes, with Robert Hajjar quotes emblazoned all over them.

“I do not let the negative into my life, only the positive.”
“Leadership is attitude.”
“I am proud of who I am, and what I’ve done.”
“Yes, I have a disability, but I ask you to see my ‘ability’.”
“Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”
“I want to inspire you to follow your dreams.”

Photo credit: Mark Ferguson. Photo taken at Robert's presentation, at the Community Living Georgina AGM