Meeting up in Melbourne

Would you believe that until this weekend, I had never (knowingly) met another raw foodist, in person? I know, I know! Unbelievable.

When I first dabbled in raw, in my mid-teens, there was noooo-body to chat to in my Queensland hometown (the internet was not yet a going concern). No one with whom to swap recipes, no one with whom to bounce around ideas and theories … no one with whom to feel normal! Needless to say, without support, I struggled – and ultimately floundered. Picture me with bottom lip pouting.

More recently however, I’ve come back to raw – and have been amazed at the support that’s now out there. I really think it’s the key to success. It’s so great knowing that there are other ‘like minds’ in our cyber community, and even closer to home.

It was through my rawsome Kiwi buddy, Viv (love ya, Viv!), that I learned of an impending visit to Melbourne by raw royalty, in the form of Angela Stokes (www.rawreform.com) and Matt Monarch (www.rawspirit.org). I leapt at the chance to meet other raw foodies in person, and to hear real-life stories about the effects of a raw-food lifestyle.

So, on Saturday, I slapped on some lippy and jumped on a train, city-bound. I was so excited, and very happy to have a good half-hour to myself on the train, so that I could just stare into space (let’s say I was a little tired from working late the night before…)!

The afternoon was utterly inspiring. Matt was down-to-earth, intelligent and intense, telling us of his experience and that of others, but also going into the science behind eating raw. He didn’t hold back from frank discussion about – ahem – colonics and gas, and other not-oft-mentioned unmentionables! Angela glowed (as evidenced in the photo of her and I), and gave a personal account of the physical and emotional changes she underwent on her raw journey, during which she lost 160lbs/72kg and gained a whole lotta health and happiness. Gosh, they’re really a lovely couple, and I just love that they want to make the world a better place.

The bonus for me, was getting to meet local raw food enthusiasts, and to learn of a recently formed raw-food group that meets in Melbourne every few weeks. Yay! New friends! (In fact, it doesn’t matter where you live in the world – there may well be a raw-food meet-up group near you. Just go to www.meetup.com, and type in ‘raw food’ for your local area, and you may just find a group!)

So, after a full-on, inspiring afternoon, I snaffled up some raw reading material and made my way into the chilly Melbourne evening. I nibbled daintily on organic dried fruit while I sat on the swaying train, digesting all the information and experiences I’d taken in. I marvelled at my lucky life and at how fabulous it will be to chat in person regularly with fellow lovers of raw food. It’s a day that’s taken my raw journey to the next level.