Thoughts from Rome
Rome is like lasagna; there are so many layers that it’s hard to know where to look, according to the local tour guides. And it's true. Walking the streets of Rome, you find the city is built layer upon layer. Observe the cobblestone street you are on and there are many places (such as behind the soon-to-be 2,000-year-old Pantheon) that you are well above the original 'ground level'. So as we enter 2022, I observe that the layers of Rome are an apt metaphor for our journey. I'm giving the "boot" of Italy to traditional January blogs about resolutions. I hope you don't mind.
Before the most-recent travel advisories came into effect, my wife and I departed for the UK and Italy to visit family and friends and explore anew some great history. We had a wonderful trip, including revisiting sites that we saw on our honeymoon decades ago! In Italy, the country that the Economist named the Country of the Year for 2021, we were fortunate to have abnormally uncrowded opportunities to see the famous sights. A number of things really struck me:
The Romans (and Etruscans before them) were surprisingly sophisticated in their societal structures and engineering of structures. Just thinking about the design of the aqueducts or the Coliseum is something to marvel at!
Two thousand years later, our mega arenas are perhaps only improved by the modernity of our plumbing, electricity (facilitating evening events and scoreboards) and ramps for those less mobile. The ancient venue had marvellous access to seating, retractable awnings to shade the spectators from the summer heat, running water for hygienic needs and elevators to raise and lower props and gladiators from the arena basement. Something else I learned was that the missing south upper tier of the Colosseum, once damaged by an earthquake, was lost to looting (not crumbling), with the building materials re-purposed for other buildings. One of those was the famous Basilica of St. Peter, another engineering marvel now about 600 years old!
What can we learn from this? Even in the midst of despair, beautiful things can emerge. As we reflect on the ongoing cycle of COVID lockdowns, renewed masking, requirements for boosting and fears of new variants, it's easy to be discouraged. Mental health, for many perilous even before the pandemic, is not something to be taken lightly. It's really important to seek help if you are discouraged, and while I'm no expert in this field, I would also encourage seeking opportunities for joy! Whether that’s in the smiles of grandchildren or getting outdoors and enjoying your local park when the weather isn't too hostile. If you have a loved one, hold their hand and say thank you.
Like ancient Rome, the building block of SierraSil is the earth: our earth-based minerals. The 3 layer structure of our silicate minerals - going back to our earlier lasagna analogy - allows SierraSil to provide layers of health benefits that build on each other. Clinical research shows that SierraSil calms inflammation at a gene expression level, reduces cartilage breakdown and chelates heavy metals (which means it pulls things like food and water-sourced lead out of your body!). Like ancient Rome, we also still want to learn more about SierraSil and uncover with evidence the numerous health benefits that our customers share with us. We know the foundational "mechanism of actions" serve more than just joint health; they help people be healthier and better able to maintain their independence and enjoy life. That's what we are about and hope to inspire.
One bonus piece of trivia: the Coliseum of Rome derives its name from the Colossus of Nero (Colossus Neronis), a missing 30-metre (98 ft) bronze statue from outside the Flavian Amphitheatre. It led the Amphitheatre, by its proximity to the Colossus, to become known as the Colosseum. Now go make your day a source of colossal joy for yourself and someone you love!
