Season’s Greetings from Positive Nutrition. From the pandemic quarantines to politics and protests, the events of 2020 leave me filled with hopes of a more joyful new year. Here we come full circle. Things are finally looking up as we approach 2021 thanks to the vaccine. We have all been affected by the virus in one way or another, or may know someone who has even had it. Recently more than 100,000 patients filled hospital beds across the nation hitting a new daily high. I have had three family members that came down with the virus, one of which spent ten weeks in the hospital. Several friends that have been asymptomatic. Knock on wood, to date I have not been diagnosed as having the virus, have not had any symptoms but then again, I barely leave my house which I often call the Land of Oz. Social distancing at work, quick outings to Whole Foods or to the front door to pick up Instacart, walk on the beach, and back to my sanitized house for a zoom nutrition session. There’s no place like home! As if I were Dorothy clicking my magical ruby slippers.

If you are anything like me you had a ton of travel plans filled on your calendar that had to be canceled. I traded in my travel money for stockpiling toilet paper, vitamin C, D, and Zinc. As I sit and catch up on my reading WSJ headlines catch my eye; U.S. Reports First Case of Virus Variant, Virus Surge Fuels More Restrictions, The Fate of Home Exercise Equipment When Covid Ends.

As I take a few moments and ponder the question when will we ever safely travel again? As the host of the Positive Nutrition Annual Heart Healthy Retreat I realize most likely not until we feel safe to venture out into our own local communities mask-free, glove-free, and hand sanitizer-free.

A client recently asked what have I been doing throughout this to keep my sanity. I replied, helped my neighbor lose 40 pounds convincing her that it is truly a lifestyle change and not a diet, bought another new camera check out http://www.cottiersphotography.com an expensive hobby of mine but the pictures are worth it, as she reminded me this is not the time to buy more shoes! Turned my guest bedroom into a walk-in closet and yes my treadmill is still in the middle of the room and might I add …not too dusty. Although I too can admit that I gained those miserable extra Covid pounds it gives me great pleasure to dust off my suitcase, and wear those neatly hung clothes now that I can venture back into the world, and set a date to travel with my heart healthy group. Took time to rewrite a novel “To Those Who Come & Go” (that I started writing about twenty years ago) now called “Zhang Dynasty and all That Jazz.” Learned that I do not need to grocery shop daily. Most importantly I have increased my awareness of empathy for others, and live more in the moment than ever before. I guess to sum it up my answer was that it is not a dress rehearsal!

Earlier in the year, our group of speakers decided to postpone travel plans to Tuscany. As I sit reminiscing about our last annual heart-healthy retreat I envy the joy of carefree traveling. When it was all about happy recollections and thinking back to stories told around decorated tables from the past…oh and the tastes of the traditional Italian foods to learning to make Limoncello in Tuscany. Doca Peixe, Lisbon devoured tiger shrimp with mushroom asparagus linguine while enjoying the view of the boats on the docks. Six-course tasting menu at Le Jules Verne, Paris with breathtaking views of the Eiffel Tower. During a visit to Rome, I was invited to La Pergola’s three Michelin star restaurant. A superb restaurant suspended above the Eternal City in the magnificent setting of a panoramic roof garden. While at Ristorante Lorenzo in Forte dei Marmi, Italy another Michelin restaurant I was educated on cooking risotto to perfection. 

Will we need the Covid-19 Passport Apps to travel? Will we want to travel to another country and risk another lockdown? Many questions leave us all guessing. The majority of my clients living in South Florida continue to work from home, while their children are on winter break. Soon the kids will be back to eLearning model phase 2 of online classes. Broward County Public Schools is the 6th-largest school system in the nation and we give a big shout out to those resilient educators.

I thank all of our heroes, our smiling hospital workers, first responders, those that stock the shelves, the humble food store clerks, transit workers, chefs, waiters and waitresses, and to all that work in the public eye that risk exposure to this virus. Every climb to the top begins with looking up and believing it’s possible.

Wear those masks. Happy Healthy 2021 to you and your family! Wishing you a new year filled with new hope, new joy, & new beginnings.

Your host,

Wendy L. Cottiers                                       

President, Heart Healthy Retreat Positive Nutrition of SO Florida