| >> Raw food and a new life |
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You've seen it in movies—everyone has. That is, someone has an epiphany-causing dream of a person or an occurrence or whatever it may be. They are positive the dream has larger implications, so they decide to follow it. Kevin Costner heard voices saying, "If you build it, they will come." He had a vision—a dream if you will—and although many in the film thought he was crazy, he did in fact build it. And they did indeed come. The story of Omar Abou-Ismail is no different. Abou-Ismail was a geophysicist living in Hawaii and suffering from depression when he had a dream that would dramatically change his life forever. In his dream, he met a woman with waist-long dreadlocks who offered him the book of life. Abou-Ismail was shocked to see the same woman from his dream the very next day while he was going about his normal routine. He was intrigued by her, and remembering his dream of her the night before, became curious about the meaning and reason of her existence in his life. He attempted to get close to her, but she however, kept her distance, avoiding his advances. Abou-Ismail decided to approach her boyfriend and explained his dream to him. He felt certain that this woman had a message for him. The boyfriend smiled and invited him to their home for dinner so he could meet the dreadlocked woman. The couple made him a meal of raw foods. After the woman handed him a brochure about the raw food diet, Abou-Ismail was convinced that he needed to adopt this new way of eating. So he did. Abou-Ismail changed his diet immediately, reporting that his depression evaporated and he felt he had the energy of a child. And now, Abou-Ismail has exclusively eaten raw foods for the past three years. While Abou-Ismail was in the process of discovering his newfound happiness in Hawaii, his father—who resides in Utah with the rest of his family—was diagnosed with cancer. As a result, he left his job as a geophysicist and moved home to care for his ailing father. Unfortunately, Abou-Ismail's father passed away, but with his family together again in Utah, he did not wish to return to Hawaii. After making the decision to stay in Utah, it was now time to find a job. But finding a suitable job was a challenge—Abou-Ismail wanted to make his life's work benefiting others. He had a vision of opening up a raw food restaurant in Salt Lake City where he could be close to his family. But despite his enthusiasm about the woman and the raw food diet had changed his life, his family was not immediately convinced. Bassem, Abou-Ismail's brother-in-law, wanted to be practical. Abou-Ismail's previous job provided him with security. Bassem knew that operating a restaurant could be very financially risky. Where some believed that the lack of similar establishments in the community meant that prospective customers were limited, Abou-Ismail saw it as an untapped resource with an infinite potential for growth. Unwavering in his belief of the raw food diet, Bassem was eventually influenced by Abou-Ismail's ardor and offered to be his financial backer for the restaurant. The Living Cuisine Raw Food Bar opened its doors to customers for the first time on July 4, 2005. And as it turns out, Abou-Ismail was right—the potential for growth was limitless. Bassem watched the sales at the Living Cuisine Raw Food Bar quadruple within four months. Jinan, Abou-Ismail's mother, serves as his advisor in selecting the best spices for the menu and can be seen helping him in the kitchen on her days off. She has also transitioned to the raw food diet. Abou-Ismail could not be happier. He loves his work and is surrounded and supported by his family. One could say that this is a large variation from his life in Hawaii working as a geophysicist and suffering from depression. And he has the message of dreadlocked woman who appeared in his dream to thank for that. Source: http://www.happynews.com/news/11302005/raw-food-and.htm |