Engine 2 Comes to Bryn Mawr

I have a job that I really love. Most days, I am amazed that I get paid to even show up. Since April, I'd been working on a program to bring the brilliant documentary, Forks Over Knives, to the Philadelphia area. It began with a simple Skyping session with Rip Esselstyn. And when those plans from that one phone call all came to fruition (some three months later), I wasn't sure what to expect.

I've been plant-strong for ten months, and I wondered how differently my embrace would have been around this event had I not been that way. But, with all the calmness in my heart and the plant-strong strength of a gorilla, I was ready for this special event. In my mind, I thought that perhaps 150 people would have shown up. I would have been very happy with that. But, when 400 people kept on coming, and coming, and then when many had to be turned away, I knew that the message of the film was what people wanted to see. Plus, hearing Rip E. speak beholds the power of plant-strength. He has the true ability to hold people in the palm of his hand. He gets people to think about the food direction of their lives. He is a zealot in the best form of the word, and I think I figured out that he just wants you to have what he has...he is giving it away.

At the event, we had great food, lovely music, a private party for 70 patrons of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, firefighters on a big yellow and brown truck, the hum of the group of 400 created a din that I can still hear. It was one of the best experiences of my life. All of the Healthy Eating Specialists from area WFM stores came together to share food, knowledge and humor; a very impressive group.

The movie will be out on March 11th, but I am hoping to help preview it on a smaller scale to some other outlets in the area. We cannot wait for the message of this movie, we need it now. All week long, my phone has been ringing off the hook. The question is always about the movie. This movie will change the way people view food and their lives.

This is the third time I have seen this movie. The first time I saw it, I was so moved by its message, that I knew I wanted to share it with people. Simple as that. This movie will change your life. I am in a state of repair from years of not being plant strong. Everyday gives me a new vista and more hope for the best life I can build.

Here are a few pictures from earlier this week. Thanks to my co-workers for such a great job, and to Rip for being the centerpiece of the event.

Be plant-strong to thine own self. Oh, and by the way, to date, I have lost 67 pounds. Just from eating plants, imagine that.