My name is Frank. It is a common name, but there is little "common" about me. I am a common man--or more succinctly a common adult person of male gender--with some very uncommon ways of looking at things. Thank you for your interest in sharing my journey!
In late 2011 I was approaching the landmark age of thirty. I started examining my past, present, and possible future. I was not happy with my life despite having a secure job with a comfortable income (at least for a bachelor in the city I lived in) and almost no debt. I was alive, but I wasn't really living. Life had become too routine and comfortable. It was time for change, but I did not know what kind of changes I wanted or needed. I decided to start with living a more healthy life, physically as well as spiritually.
Much of my family was obese and I was no exception. At under 5 feet 8 inches tall I weighed about 220 pounds. Today I weigh less than 170 pounds and I have hovered around this weight since early 2013. The weight loss happened slowly over the course of about a year and a half. I would shed a few pounds and then plateau for a few weeks or even gain back a pound or two. I made small changes to my diet and exercise routine as I went along to ensure that I continued to lose weight. Daily or almost daily walks helped immensely. When I started feeling stronger I started jogging for short distances during my walks. Short distances turned into long distances. I am not a fast runner, but I have run 5k distances non-stop on several occasions. I have no proof of this (I do not use GPS and I run alone), but I know that I have done it and that is good enough for me.
A catalyst for many of the changes in my life has been a drink native to the South American rainforest known as yerba maté--or simply mate (same pronunciation). It is derived from the leaves and stems of the holly shrub with the scientific name Ilex paraguariensis. As its scientific name suggests, it is best known for being grown and cultivated in Paraguay and surrounding areas. Throughout Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil mate is drunk alone or communally with friends and family or even with acquaintances. Instead of asking a visitor if they would like coffee, tea, or soda (pop), a host normally will ask their guests if they would like mate. Often the guest will reply yes whether the guest likes mate or not and the host will proceed to prepare a mate or a "gourd."
The word mate means "cup" in the tongue of native peoples from the region of Paraguay. Today mate has come to mean a cup of yerba mate. The word yerba is one Spanish version of the word "herb" and so "yerba mate" translates literally to "cup herb."
Mate originally was drunk from a hollow calabash gourd but now more commonly is drunk from wooden, glass, ceramic or food grade silicone "gourds" or mates. A regular coffee mug will even suffice. The mate of choice is filled with the dried and usually cured (aged) yerba (leaves and usually stems) and drunk through a filtered straw called a bombilla (bom-bee-ya or bom-bee-sha). The bombilla originally was made of bamboo but today more often is made of alpaca silver (German silver), stainless steel, or nickel plated brass. Hot (not boiling) or cold (usually with ice) water is poured into a vacuum flask or "Thermos." Little by little the hot or cold water is poured into the mate and drunk through the bombilla. Each refill of the mate is passed from server or cebador to fellow "mate circle" members and back again. Sometimes the mate is sweetened (dulce) or flavored with herbs or other flavorings and sometimes it is consumed "bitter" (amargo). For many an American palate mate amargo (plain, unsweetened and unflavored yerba mate) is very unappealing while for others it immediately "clicks." Admittedly it took some time for me to develop a taste for it, but it was the effects I liked most.
Now to explain the jump from talking about health and weight loss to talking about a "yerba mate catalyst." Some of the physical effects of yerba mate (just mate from now on) is that it aids in digestion and metabolism. Mate contains a unique combination of caffeine, theobromine (found in chocolate), and theophylline (found in green tea) among many other antioxidants and vital nutrients. This unique combination often referred to as "mateine" helps to cleanse and energize the body and the mind, sharpen the senses, and suppress appetite. Combined with healthier eating habits and regular exercise mate helped me not only lose weight but it helped me realize that I hold the key to my own happiness and that happiness is a way of travel rather than a destination.
Some time over the last couple of years I started sharing mate with family and friends in person and online. One of these shared experiences took place in an online mate circle or mate drinking session hosted by Circle of Drink. During the circle I joked about materos or dedicated mate drinkers being an "illumimate" (a play on illuminati). I wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but someone in the group suggested that "illumimate needs to be a thing." I did not know for a long time exactly what this "thing" might be, but recently I came to a decision of what I dream it will be. In the near future it will be a full featured web site (illumimate.org) sharing inspiring stories of my own and others including adventures in volunteering.
Ideally I would like to become a "professional volunteer" where I am not directly compensated with money for services I provide to those in need of them. I have been doing a bit of volunteering already, but I will go into that a bit in my next blog post. Until then, thank you for your time and I hope that you will subscribe to my blog and continue with me on my journey. As materos say, salud! And may you have an excellent day!
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