You’re a Mean One…. Mr. Grinch

I couldn’t think of a character who more exemplifies the topic I would like to discuss this week – Greed! It’s the holidays and we all get a little greedy, don’t we? I don’t know about you but when I am out holiday shopping for others, a thing or ten usually finds its way home just for me- I blame it on the fact that I am a Libra and we just like nice things.

Not to take anything from Dr. Seuss, or the classic holiday special, but Sue Sylvester ( I have already admitted I am a total Gleek, right) played an amazing Grinch- like character on Glee- right down to having her mildly mentally challenged assistant wear antlers and pull her on a wagon, all while backlit.

However, greed also can take a devastating toll on our health. This is the prime week for holiday parties, office gatherings- heck, every time I go into the reception area of my office, there are boxes of candy and cookies and people are coming to see me. They know how I feel about all that stuff; yet what do they say: “we didn’t want to deprive the girls.” Seriously- deprive them of what? Sugar that suppresses their immune system and may lead to an increased risk of cancer. Wheat and gluten which can lead to stomach upsets, gastric reflux and ultimately to esophagitis.

Perhaps I get a bit over-dramatic- Libras can tend to be that way; but, this is not about deprivation- it’s just a bad habit that is hard to break. And I see them eating it, enjoying it, being greedy about who gets to eat what- the more the better. Then what do I have to hear the rest of the day- how their stomach hurts, they’re tired and, here’s the best part- why are you so skinny? I mean, what, so now it’s my fault all of a sudden. I am going to quote my dear friend Heidi at this moment- it is her current Facebook status: When someone says to you that you look anorexic, the next words that follow should be, “thank you!”

I am just quoting one of my closest friends, but she has a point; albeit an exaggerated one. She is a Libra too and works in Hollywood- a double whammy of impropriety. I bring up Hollywood here because, as you know, I relate everything to television and having many friends in the industry makes me greedy- I want to steal all of her Facebook friends and make them mine. Sorry, did I type that out loud? I am having a hard time finding characters to relate to greed.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a plethora of greedy characters: Tony Soprano, Mr. Burns, Nucky Thompson, Russell Edgington (the vampire king of Mississippi from True Blood), Bill Paxton (yes, having three wives makes you greedy). I can go on and on but because it’s tv, there is always a good side- something makes the character endearing; and each one of these characters may be ruthless- ya gotta love them (or at least I do).

The truth of the matter is that greed can really make you do things that not only can make you sick in the long and the short term; but can cause others to try to make you look bad if you don’t participate in these actions to justify their own greedy behavior.

My dog, Remington also gets this. Let me rephrase: I get it because of him. He’s my dog, so let’s face it- he is not an ounce overweight and when I suspect that he may not be getting enough exercise, I decrease his food for one meal to maintain his weight. Remington is a beagle and they tend to get “chesty” or in real terms, a little fat around the middle – sound like anyone you know? So, I took him to the vet recently and she commented on how perfect his size was and couldn’t believe it. I looked at her straight in the eye and said, “I’m a diet doctor- you just come to my house and you lose weight.”

The point of this story is that Remington eats what a dog is supposed to eat- raw organic food and for snacks, he gets raw organic carrots- nothing else. It’s how they were programmed genetically to eat and guess what- he maintains his weight. If humans ate the way they were genetically programmed to eat and not what they have been brainwashed into eating- cookies, packaged foods, candy canes, etc. we wouldn’t have this staggering obesity problem which only gets exaggerated in our season of greed.

I finally thought of a character who is truly greedy. I guess she’s not really a character since she is part of a reality program- Phaedra. Boy, that is one intense beatch. She wants everything, gets everything, and has no regrets. She just had a baby and there has yet to be much interaction between the two, at least on the show- allegedly!

So, all I am saying is that we need to be acutely aware of the role greed plays in our lives and how it affects our health and our interaction with others. Don’t force others to eat if they say no. Don’t act insulted. Give people their space to be who they want to be and live whatever moment they happen to be in. No judging! Be greedy if you want but know how it is going to affect your health, your habits, your lifestyle and your interaction with others. It’s the season of giving- please remember those less fortunate than ourselves.