As we transition from the bright warm days of summer to cooler temperatures and shorter days, I felt it was a good time to reflect on how the world around us is changing.  The things that are so important to us, such as friends and family are so interconnected to our environment.  If our environment is not maintained or healthy, our friends and family suffer.  The major contributing factors to our overall health are the environment in which we live and the food we eat.  I feel I have a slightly more intimate view of people through my practice.   I have great concerns about the things that seem to be less and less under our control.  Yet, we have made great strides in organic farming and organic foods which are much more accepted these days.  The globalization of our food supply has given us less control and less knowledge about what is in our food.  One product could contain ingredients from many countries.   Why has our food become a science experiment?   So many untested ingredients, processed beyond what is recognized in nature, chemicals to preserve, chemicals to kill what sickens us and ingredients added to reduce costs.  We cannot evolve fast enough to protect ourselves.  I'm concerned about the increases of chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease and so many unnamed ailments related to unknown factors in our food and environment.  Maybe the best advice is to "keep it simple" whole unprocessed, organic food.  Even with our busy lifestyles we need to keep it simple.  Be more active, both physically and politically to save our environment and food supply.   Trust more in our own inherent ability to adapt and heal ourselves.  We will still need our friends and family to gain perspective on the the path to health and and find the brightness as the days grow shorter.