Wow, this is such a great forum of people!  Now I understand why Harley is addicted to this site!  Joss, thanks so much for that compliment--he doesn't usually deal out the sensitive remarks, but I know better .  Sheryl, yes, you are correct and the consummate diplomat, and I like how you analyzed his position.  I guess I was frustrated in the past when hearing the "leaders" because I wanted to believe in an all or nothing, a perfect synopsis of what was the right thing to do.  Now, I understand that we are all on a path that ebbs and flows with experience and learning/knowledge.   Whatever it takes to be raw and take care of the planet and one's health is great--I mean, since it took me 3 years to get to the LIFESTYLE of 100% raw (during the glorious Yosemite hike last month, I clearly saw that my mind was wide open with only light about this diet.  Finally, no time frames or doubts!), more dehydrated and fatty foods would have done the trick instead of the cooked stuff.  And, about the photo, Harley put the pack on me to let me see how it felt!  But he was the bomb and carried it for me--didn't even need all the stuff really when we slept under the stars at the base of Half Dome, all alone at 8,000 ft. elevation.  Incredible!!  And, RGG, thanks for giving a sista props!

Theresa

Yay!  I got my first karma point!   

And, I agree with what you have to say, Janita. 

Good night!

I like your response to that, Harley.

Piers,

Yeah, I know about David Wolfe.  I did an experiment when Harley and I were at a Wellness Expo and David Wolfe was nearby.  I had the most amazingly soft Barhi dates and offered them to him and his crew.  David looked at them and took a few, and immediately his eyes widened.  He then took several more!  Each person there said, "oh, I don't really want/need the sugars" but took one anyway and then couldn't resist eating more.  They were giving out chunks of coconut butter to eat (pure, nearly tasteless fat) and just specialty foods.  So, of course with not exercising a lot and eating loads of fat do they not want fruit.  David disclosed to me that he once ate 150 dates in one day, so he may think he should curb himself by sticking to other foods.  He has a very strong personality, so he teaches as he personally knows and lives.  I listen to the leaders and then make my own conclusions about what works best for me.  Dr. Doug Graham's way of eating and living most closely resonates with me, but of course I support everyone in the vegan raw community.   

And, by the way, the cacao he was serving made everyone feel stimulated and even "high," so his logic about turning to bananas doesn't make sense.

My best,
Theresa

Hi Sheryl,

Thanks.  Yeah, we've had lots of fun and also met great leaders within our niche.  John Robbins, for example, got all fired up when talking about veganism.  Although he's not raw, he turned so many people on to vegetarianism, me included when I was a teenager.  Have you or anyone else here heard of Canadian David Suzuki?  He was the most radical and fired up speaker I heard at the San Francisco Green Festival.  He's a biologist who worked with the U.N. and has proposed a feasible environmental/political agenda to his country and also to mine (to kick us in the butt).  I just LOVE being around conscious and outspoken people, since I'm one of those people also.  The other leaders we met were cool, and I'll meet Matt Monarch of Raw Spirit in person next week.  It's just good to see how other people such as ourselves are living their conviction with confidence, and we are all supporting each other on this journey.

About the password problem, I did log out to try to get the password sent to me via email.  After each of the maybe 4 times I did it, the main page came on after I clicked on the button, giving me no confirmation but making me think something happened.  Then, of course I couldn't log back on.  And, when I tried to create another profile, it kept saying my password and username were in use when I tried different ones every time, and none were final.  Finally, today, maybe deleting some cookies helped with the addition of me using a new email address, and this current profile worked (although I wanted another name, but it won't let me use it anymore).  There may be a few transition profiles I tried to create just sitting around on your server!  You do have a totally amazing website, though, so I was surprised to experience these few holes.

Nice to "meet" you!
Theresa

Hi Janita,

Harley told me what a nice person you are, and he's right!  I didn't know that the cherimoya was a custard apple!  I thought they were different colors and fruits entirely.  Well, here I am now with a different profile since I forgot my password to the old one, and all email communications with your site must have gotten swallowed up in the abyss of the Pacific Ocean!

 Looking forward to narrowing the gap across the world.

Take care,
Theresa