Where Everybody Knows Your Name

While mindlessly scrolling on Facebook this morning (as I often do), I saw this photo from Dr. Dean Ornish.

I love it!

Notice it’s not about food or exercise….but about connection. It reminded me that people heal better when they have other people beside them.

For years I’ve talked about eating more plants. I’ve shared recipes, cooking videos, and all kinds of nutrition information. Those things matter.

But the longer I do this... the more I realize that food is only one piece of the puzzle.

Remember the old Cheers song?

🎶 Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name. 🎶

That's sounds exactly like what the Japanese call a moai, and it's why Dr. Dean Ornish considers love and connection one of the four pillars of health.

What Is A Moai?

In Okinawa, they have something called a moai—a small group of friends who intentionally stay connected and support one another for life. They celebrate together. They grieve together. They encourage each other when life gets hard.

It’s easy to think that better health comes from finding the perfect diet. And while that IS important…. but what if it also comes from finding your people?

When I started this substack, I thought I was creating a new place to share recipes. But somewhere along the way, it became something much more than that.

• People started encouraging one another

• Sharing victories

• Sharing setbacks

• Checking in

• Celebrating lower blood pressure

• Celebrating a first walk around the block

• Celebrating someone choosing oatmeal instead of a drive-thru breakfast

Those little moments matter!

I’ve noticed the same thing in our morning livestreams. We joke around. We cheer each other on. Sometimes we don’t even talk about food at all. And yet... somehow we all leave feeling a little better.

That’s not an accident - that’s community.

• Maybe that’s why the Blue Zones keep showing up in study after study

• Maybe that’s why Ornish insists that love and connection aren’t “nice extras” but actual pillars of health

• Maybe we’ve spent so much time arguing about carbs versus fat, or oil versus no oil, that we’ve forgotten one of the most powerful ingredients was sitting right in front of us all along

Each other.

So today I want to encourage you to do something that has nothing to do with calories or cholesterol.

• Call someone

• Invite a neighbor over for coffee

• Comment on someone’s post

• Join a walking group

• Come hang out with us during a livestream

• Leave a kind comment for someone who needs it

Because healthy habits become easier when we stop trying to carry them by ourselves.