A more traditional approach

I've been trying to decide for a long time now what I want to be when I grow up. Yeah, I'm already 25 and have no clue what I want to do with my life. Looking back, I shouldn't be surprised. I've drifted through education, never really having to pick a career. I mean, I love plants and they're really cool, but there aren't a lot of job opportunities in the field. I knew all this before I began my graduate studies in botany.

So I've been thinking about why I like plants. There are of course the immediate perks: they don't complain, easy to maintain (especially since I dealt with the dead ones), no one is horrified if you kill a few accidentally. I think my true love of plants comes from an ethnobotanical view (plants and people). Our daily activities require plants, right down to my cotton underwear!

Those who know me, know that I'm not in anyway a vegetarian, but the more I see of chronic illnesses in the news (including obesity), I think people need to simplify their lives. Pills typically treat symptoms. Tylenol is great for a fever and makes you feel better while your body fights the cause. There was an excellent editorial in the New York Times recently, Unhappy Meals. The author discussed that by trying to analyze the components of food, we've lost track of the food as a whole. Sure fibre is great, but I'm sure that Shreddies act differently in your body than apples. The whole is different than the sum of its parts.

With this in mind, I've started thinking that perhaps a good career for me would be either as a Naturopathic doctor or a registered dietitian. If I tend to feel crappy some days maybe it's because of what I've been feeding myself.

I'll admit that I'm a selfish person. Where I'm currently employed, there is a employee assistance programme (EAP). This programme gives counseling and advice and naturopathic programmes along with dietitians :). Today I phoned the programme to have them send me a naturopathic kit. When it arrives I'll phone the naturopath and see where it takes me. If it goes well, I'm also covered by my medical benefits to go see a naturopath here in Halifax.

I'm feeling pretty excited about it all. :)