It was a Saturday evening in late December when thoughts of writing an article on healing were left by the bathroom door, were flushed, washed and dried away. Saturday nights are meant for fun, for dancing, for letting loose, for being dropped into a world of resolute calm, or break way madness with no boundaries. This evening I dedicated myself to just relaxing, and getting myself into the spirit of this year's Christmas spirit. These were my thoughts as I left my store to go to one of those typical holiday parties with all of the standard American festival of processed foods. I was determined to keep my mouth closed, my eyes shut, and to just relax into the flow of conversation. To those in the know, and to those who have an understanding that I am a mostly raw foodist who mostly eats just that and rarely anything else, I went to the party knowing that what one eats directly affects their mental, physical, and emotional well being. I, as a guest, had to bite my tongue about the horrors that people were putting into their physical bodies. I, in my infinite wisdom, knew that the average person did not even have the tiniest of inclination to even think of changing their eating habits, let alone, have a conversation while eating this standard American fare. It would be just too much to even think about it as being possible, let alone to expect anyone to be the least bit receptive to me.

It was under these circumstances that I attended one of my employee's family holiday functions. I felt honored to be invited. I felt honored to bring one of my raw holiday dishes (my daughter's home-made apple pie), and, by some rare coincidence, I knew that there were people in attendance who were somewhat versed on the joys and the benefits of raw food, and would actually want to eat the delicious pie that I brought to MY young employee Daniel's home. Daniel had not only prepared some of the dishes served at the party, and was relentless in getting everyone he knew to change their dietary food choices, he was almost always in a panic situation when he saw anybody he knew eating meat. He knew of the consequences of their choices. It is a clear indication based on the infinite wisdom of the body that a poisonous material has entered the system. He could not fathom ever again eating dairy products since it is a key factor in all cancers (Avoiding Degenerative Diseases by Don Bennet: page 59). It literally broke his heart when he sees how many medicines his grandfather is taking for all of those ailments that he has accumulated over the years. Daniel knew of how life works with its consequences. He knew that the body can't repair itself through the intake of food that has no life force. It is with this understanding that Daniel prepared food for the holiday special at his house. He bought only organic food. His mother, who by all means, is also being influenced by Daniel's insistence on purity and excellence, was also swayed into having more of a fresh organic fruit selection for their guests. It was under these circumstances that one of my employees and me went to Daniel's party. We naturally ate before attending so we wouldn't be influenced by all of the sweet aromas, by all the superbly prepared, highly enticing selections, and all of the processed gourmet food that we knew would be there. We even brought our own raw gourmet dishes to be shared. This, my friends, is my beginning in learning the true spirit of what climbing Mount Kilimanjaro means before I even set myself to even thinking about climbing it. This, my friends, is my understanding of what it takes every moment, every second, every thought process without looking back to see where the next rock is standing, let alone falling. This, my friends, is where I met Daniel's older sister, Lori, who spoke of just doing that-- climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.

Lori was a young, single, light brown-haired woman who did not stand out in the crowd as an extreme adventurer. She stood there rather nonchalantly, rather conforming, simply being highly entertained just being in the presence of her family. I who only knew of her by name, cautiously approached her to say "Hi." I introduced myself, kept the conversation as light as I could. I definitely did not want to get involved in my good food/ bad food lecture routine. I definitely did not want to bad mouth any food, any cake, any cheese or anything that was so graciously set on the table. All of the food was made with love---period! In my opinion, food that is vibrating on that level could, if not completely, compensate against all of the negative input that was put into it. I looked at the food on the table, looked at the food on my plate, looked at Lori as if nothing else mattered, approached her and began talking to her.

Lori lived in NYC working at a job that was not in her field that but paid the bills. It was one of those types of conversations which you might remember and might just as easily forget. There was nothing really unusual spoken and nothing really out of the ordinary that was heard. It was that type of back and forth conversation, the kind you have with thousands of other people. It was after a minute of random nonchalant conversation that came one bone crusher followed by a swift left uppercut, and then finally landed with a swivel right hook. In other words, Lori began revealing to me about her true essence of what's important in her life. She spoke of her true joys. She spoke about her journey into another land, her dreams, her visions, and of what mattered to her the most. She spoke about what she had to do no matter what. Lori wanted to climb MT Kilimanjaro because it was there. Her every thought ran on this principle of life. She would go at it alone if necessary. Mount Kilimanjaro is not impossible to climb, but difficult. It requires days, as many as seven to climb to the top. It requires stamina, endurance, and most importantly, it requires preparing the body to be tested under the most severe of conditions that I couldn't help but ask that typical question about, "What else do you?" entered the conversation. For whatever reason, after she spoke, my life took a hundred-degree turn, and became like a speeding run-away train that knew exactly where to go, and how long it would take to get there without a conductor in sight. I was totally floored by what she did, what she is going to do, and how long it would take for her to do it. I listened to her words carefully. Even though it was only for the briefest of time, I would say for a maximum of ten minutes, her thought process would become my cry for a better today and an even better tomorrow. Her thought process of what it takes day in and day out would become my own battle cry for 2008. Believe me my friends, it truly is a battle. It is a battle of the impending oncoming diseases affecting literally everybody in this country who eats a standard American diet (China Study). MY friends it is impending, and it is like that of an onslaught, and it is a battle to reverse the thought process that binds our emotions, our appetites, our mindsets, and our addictions to foods. We as a nation, as a city, and as individuals think that we know what is good for us and what is bad for us. It is based on whether the food tastes good. It is that simple, that pure, and believe it or not, it is not that wrong.

I listen to her words, and I knew instinctively, that I had my Mt Kilimanjaro for 2008. I knew what I had to do to activate the same simulated experience. I heard her words about training day in and day out. I felt and envisioned her every breath being so totally focused on getting her closer and closer to the goal. I felt her determination of not only going to Africa by herself, not only of saving enough money to get there, not only training hard the physical body to endure the difficult climb to the top, but I envisioned her experiencing the total process that would enable her to be successful. My friends, it was only ten minutes into our conversation with one another, but I knew right then and there that I had to experience the climbing of Mt Kilimanjaro my way in my own style, and based on my Mission Statement I made a long time ago, and that is: " To create an energetic movement for the transformation of a disease free world." I had to up the ante besides owning my store Arnold's Way Vegetarian Raw Café, besides providing my weekly newsletter on Raw food and healing, besides my weekly classes, besides my 29 You tube videos on healing success stories. I knew, deep down, there was more that I could do, and I to figure out an angle that would keep me committed almost moment by moment. I needed to make it my practice to see that every minute counts. NO matter what happens; no matter how mundane it is; no matter where I am; no matter what I am doing at the moment. There had to be a battle cry that would sustain me over and over from the time I awoke in the morning and begin debating to myself whether I should exercise or not, or debated to myself whether I should eat a bagel or eat just fruit so my body would not get worn down by the glues in the bagel, or jacked up like a rabbit ready to run with the wind, like a rabbit from the natural life force of the fruit. Was it really that important, you may ask? You bet it was. MY climbing of Mt Kilimanjaro was dependent on my every thought, and on my every action which was based on my desire to live the total vision. Lori's goal was dependant on a moment by moment process of her being really clear about what is important in her life, and what can detract her from reaching her goal.

I took Lori's essential process and transformed it into my essential process. I had to determine for myself what it is that I really wanted, and what I would have to do no matter how small, how trivial it seemed, no matter how obscure it would be to those around me, no matter if even everyone else around me disagreed. My friends; it is that way for me. It makes no difference if I had my truth of what is necessary to fight my battle, to climb to my highest point possible, I had to create more YOU tube success stories. I, through my tiny little store in Lansdale, with a population of barely 15,000 people had to make a dramatic impact in a world that was literally being over whelmed with some diseases that have no cause, no cure, and no hope of being cured in the standard established medical realms. I had to do this day in and day out do You Tube videos of my customers, who by simply changing their dietary life styles, and changing what they put into their mouth create an energetic motion of whatever illness they had simply disappear. I, Arnold, from my little store in Lansdale has been the witness to hundreds of such success stories, am inspired by this wonderful conversation with Laurie to create my own Kilimanjaro. I had no choice in the matter but to videotape them to whomever would want to see them, listen and to be inspired on learning how to climb their own Mt Kilimanjaro.

I thank Lori for being my inspiration for making this week's article possible so that her story and her mission can be an inspiration to hundreds, if not thousands of others.

I thank you for your time.