When we accept the truth that we live twenty four seven (24/7) in our bodies and we cannot travel anywhere without the Temple, within which we reside, we start focusing on developing a healthy lifestyle.

We then purchase insurance to secure our homes, buy the best cars, clothes and other external material things, while spending the minimum in keeping one’s body in tip top shape. This is a formula for short­term sustainability of one’s peace of mind. Without good health, we cannot enjoy that dream automobile. Without good health, we cannot wear those beautiful clothes. Without good health, we cannot go on that long­deserved vacation. Without good health, we long for the youthful years or the carefree and happier times of yesteryear.

There is a wellness revolution taking place around the world and conventional doctors are even joining the bandwagon by recommend­ing that patients change their eating habits in order to stay well, but what is ironic about that is that restaurants, hotels, tour venues, schools and cafeterias are not promoting healthy eating.

Being a vegetarian for over 35 years and based on the above facts, I conceived in 2005, in collaboration with Sharon Parris­Chambers (my best friend, soul­mate and wife), “The Caribbean Health Tourism and Spa Conference,” which we rebranded in 2008, “The Caribbean VeggieFest and Wellness Conference.”

The conference welcomes the consumer and professional to come together to celebrate their wellbeing through the indulgence of natural plant­based vegetarian foods, listening to uplifting words and pam­pering the mind, body and spirit.

We were able to bring exhibitors and conference attendees from other Caribbean Islands, the United States, Canada, Athens­Greece, Israel and Africa.

One of the goals and objectives of this annual event is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with restaurants, hotels and tour venues, to agree to have at least one vegetarian/healthy lifestyle choice on their menus. It is important that chefs from around the world understand the Hippocratic concept, “Let Our Food Be Our Medicine and Our Medicine Be Our Food.”

We all know when we have a quiet crisis on our hands. That is when CNN and other major news media are continuously showing the overweight problems that exist around the world. Today, an unheard of phenomenon is taking place; overweight teenagers are seeking liver transplants because of their poor diets and the effects of the Sickness Industry on their unsuspecting minds and body.

The Sickness Industry stands in the wings. It will singlehandedly wipe out a generation with diseases that come from consuming mas­sive doses of fats, trans­fat, salt, dairy, growth hormones and other antibiotics and drugs that are passed from the unhealthy foods to which we are addicted. We become living incubators for early and untimely death as we ingest empty calories devoid of the nutrition needed to sustain healthy and wealthy minds, bodies and souls.

One amazing thing we found out by conducting our annual well­ness seminars is that people want to be vegetarians or at least try it out, but they do not know how to prepare vegetarian foods and/or have no experience of well­seasoned, finger­linking, delicious vegetari­an dishes that would cause them to not think twice about eating meat. The Wellness market is a trillion dollar business and those who get on board with this fast­growing industry will do extremely well. There are attractive opportunities to make great wealth in healthy foods and supplementation; teaching wellness; providing educational forums; creating vegetarian restaurants and entrees; writing cookbooks and creating the wellness lifestyle for consumption through lifestyle trans­formation centers, spas, and retreats.

Health and Wellness Tourism is now a common buzz word. Major hotel chains are upgrading their spas. Caribbean islands and other destinations are marketing and promoting nature adventure tours. Yoga and meditation are being incorporated into the business environment. Natural juice clubs and vegetarian restaurants are opening worldwide.

I am very happy to know that people from all walks of life are accepting the theory that “your health is your wealth,” thus, I am asking you to join in and become an ambassador of healthy lifestyle by signing up at www.Caribbeanwellnesstourism.Com.

Hannalore Leavy, the founder of the US­based Day Spa Association, once told Sharon and I that whenever she travels to the Far East, instead of being greeted at homes with a drink or some snacks, she is asked if she would like to have a massage.

Can you imagine going to a friend’s home and the first thing you are greeted with is a cold refrigerated oil­scented face towel? Would you be flabbergasted if the next offering is a healthy shake or a glass of freshly blended natural juice?

Companies are finally realizing that one of their unrecognized financial drains is absenteeism due to sickness, which in turn reduce company’s productivity.

Today, Workplace Wellness programs offer executive and staff meditation breaks during the work day, including time to exercise and read. Many of them hire a masseuse to give their staff an early morning neck and back massage.

Insurance companies are feeling the pinch with high medical claims that they have to payout. Today, they are also joining the well­ness revolution because it is financially feasible to invest in their client’s healthy lifestyle, more so than paying sky­rocketing medical claims.

 Wellness” is also accepting the fact that there is no Brinks truck following any funeral, thus, happiness and peace of mind is more precious than all the material things one could own.

“Wellness” is also accepting the fact that there is no Brinks truck following any funeral, thus, happiness and peace of mind is more precious than all the material things one could own.

I was shocked when I was told that if a person lives a normal life and dies at the age of sixty, we can safely deduct twenty years from that person’s life since he would have slept a third of every day of his life. That leaves a sixty­year life span with only forty years of con­sciousness. If we deduct the time from when that person was a baby until the age of sixty, every minute that was spent taking a shower, grooming, preparing to go to school, going to and retuning from school. If we deduct the time spent preparing to go to work, going to and coming from work, time spent washing, cleaning and doing other chores, that person ends up collectively enjoying only five years out of sixty.

I advise all my friends and associates and now my readers, to never ever become or try to become an adult. Adults are the most miserable set of individuals on earth. They are too old for too many things. Always remain a responsible child, regardless of how old you are. Never forget the things that made you smile and enjoy life as a child and if your children ever tells you that you are too old to be doing XYZ, please open the door and let them know that they are too old to remain at home!

At the end of your consciousness on the earth, it is not the amount of breath you took that really matter, rather, it is those moments that took your breath away that really matter.

Wellness is accepting the theory that once a week you are going to become ‘worthless’ for a day or half a day, and during those ‘worth­less’ moments, you are going to take mama to dinner where the both of you are going to spend some breath­less moments.

During these times when you have no allegiance to anyone, you are going to call that sister, brother, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew or best friend you have not spoken to in a while and you are both going to spend some quality time that money cannot buy.

In addition, during one of those weekly I­do­not­care­time­out­periods, you are going to the spa to have one of those long­awaited head­to­toe massages and pedicure treatments that you deserve.

During one of those weekly time­out periods you are going to invite your spouse, or significant other to spend the night at a beauti­ful hotel or villa so you can just be a tourist. Even if the property is only a few blocks away from your home, just go.

Wellness is remembering to tell your children and parents, “I love you.” Wellness is being happy exactly where you are, knowing that millions of people are worse off than you. Wellness can be found in the Temple of Inner Peace.