The Best Part of Waking Up...

... Is eating a giant cookie for breakfast. Not just any cookie, a healthy one! This morning I rised and shined at 5:00am so I could head to St. Paul until Thursday. Last night I prepared a giant oatmeal cooking with these ingredients:

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 T of almond butter
• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1 tsp ground flax seed
• a pinch (drop?) of vanilla extract

Mix all together, lay across evenly on the plate and stick it in the fridge for the next morning. SO. GOOD! I can't wait to do this more often.

I was on the road by 6:30am with a rented blue Ford Fusion, ice coffee and my James Patterson book on CD in tow. It was a rough drive up. I should have slept more last night... A pee pee break at McDonalds halfway through and I was good to go again. I managed to make it to St. Paul by about 10:30.

I'm attending a COPD Educator's Course in St. Paul this week since I need to replicate it for Iowa when we have our class in March. So far, it's an interesting class. I sat next to a Native American woman named Romaine. She is from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation which is about 45 minutes away from the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Romaine was staying at my same hotel so I offered to give her a ride since she flew in. She gladly accepted and after a quick 45 minute session on the elliptical (go me!) we decided to grab supper together too. For a little background on the Pine Ridge Reservation, 80% of residents are unemployed. The per capita income is about $6,000 a year. The average life expectancy of a man is 48 years and a woman is 52 years. Romaine has two children ages 5 and 6. In February, her daughter found Romaine's husband dead at the age of 40. His family opted not to do an autopsy so the cause of death is unknown, but she did say that heart disease and diabetes is rampant in the community amongst other problems.

That was one of the best dinners I had in a long time. It was apparent Romaine has been struggling with the loss of her husband and really needed someone to talk with. She said her family is not supportive of her grieving and she is really trying to hold it together in front of her kids. She says everywhere she goes and everything she does reminds her of what their family used to do and is a painful reminder that he's not coming back. My heart went out to her. It is hard to comfort someone who has gone through something like this and who has had a hard life when I have never been in any predicament of the sort. I really think all she wanted was to have someone listen to her. We talked about cultural beliefs and she enjoyed educating me on the Native American people.

Culture is one thing that I am passionate about. I thoroughly enjoy learning about different lifestyles of others and trying to get into their head and emotions and feel where they are coming from. Yes, the Indian Reservation is different from the culture we live but it really opens my mind and allows me to appreciate life more knowing what I am blessed with. These are not just a crazy group of drunks who steals America's money. They are real people with lives and real struggles. I think we could all be a little bit more open to other cultures, allowing ourselves to take a walk in their shoes. Who are we to judge, mock or say hurtful things about anyone we do not know. Everyone's situation is different and we all have our burdens but all we can do is support one another and share compassion equally.

Life is good. We're lucky to be here. And I'm grateful you are part of my culture.