A Late New Year’s Resolution

With Christmas music in the mildly chilly air, December in south Texas marks the first twinges of what other states call fall. I am spurred to reflect on the time that has passed since last this season sprung, and the changes that I see inspire me to attempt to direct my future evolution with what (if little!) wisdom I’ve gained.

Only a month left in the year makes this a very late Resolution. Perhaps the first New Year’s Resolution that I might actually keep for the rest of the year, assuming I can cut it: chilling out.

Just yesterday I met with the surgeon to discuss chopping out my recently attacked gallbladder, and I mentioned my chagrin at getting gallstones so soon after doing a liver cleanse (I left out the Master Cleanse…and 5 day fast…). “Oh don’t bother with those,” said the Morgan Freeman look-alike, brushing off the very idea, “I don’t recommend them.” This advice, from such a sage figure, along with the recent recognition of French Cuisine by UNESCO cultural heritage, has given me pause to realize my rush and bother to live to 2100 is probably doing more harm than good in getting me there.

What, you may ask, do the French have to do with it? Well, their entrance into the intangible cultural heritage of humanity hall of fame was noted by one writer as a nod to the French conception of food as a social celebration of life vs. the American view of food as the package for the tabulations of nutrients, calories, and antioxidants that are needed to keep our body machine going.

Ever since my gallbladder bit back after all of the stress I put myself through I’ve felt a big need to step back from this blog to regroup and reconsider what will make each day of however the hell long my life ends up being as worthwhile and happy as possible. = less extremes, more French food. I by no means regret the detoxes, diets and fads I’ve chased so far this year to see what they’re hiding. I’m the type who needs to learn the hard way, through experience, and hopefully my foibles can better inform you, dear reader, as to what not to do.
So even if my recent lifestyle was not the main cause of the stones in my gallbladder (which I’ll be keeping for the near future, by the by!), the annoyance I’ve come to feel even in my own head at constantly considering nutritional breakdowns instead of a respect for my food means it’s time for change.

So the big lesson??? The Resolution??? Chilling, man. I got extreme in the past, but even now that I’m swinging on the opposite direction I am taking with me the clean good feeling of eating fresh, healthy food and the bright exhilaration of using my body to its full potential through daily exercise. Intense detoxes and supplements are a thing of the past, but having tried them I know my body and mind all the better.

So see you around, and happy holidays. I’ll be back with more on the quest to 2100…you know, when I feel like it.

Master Cleanse Day 7

I miss food.
The thing is, I’m not really hungry, but, I just miss food.
I feel like me and food were getting into an unhealthy pattern in our relationship. We were bringing each other down, I was abusing food, and food was fighting back with a muddled complexion, low energy levels, and chub (a primo storage site for toxins!). I came to food when I was emotional, stressed, or bored and restless. This is not a healthy relationship pattern! We needed time apart.
And so now I have no food.
Haven’t eaten in a week now, and I’ve figured quite a few things on this “break” me and food have taken. I feel like I’ve been cleaning not only my physical body from toxins, but also my act when it comes to the bad habits I’ve formed. In this time-out from food, I’ve had time to think about what I’ve been doing to my body and mind when I treat food irresponsibly.
And I’ve learned my lesson! Really I have!

I was taking food for granted.
The sharp impact of teeth against the taut skin of an apple. An explosion of moisture and flavor, the sugars a tree made to….

WHOA.

So I just realized that I didn’t know for sure why trees make fruit. At least, why so sweet and delectable, each fruit tree in it’s own style and flavor?? I know fruit holds seeds, but is the sugar helpful in getting the seeds dispersed somehow?
Well yes it is. Fruit is exploiting us to spread their seeds. In other animals it’s a simple in and out, but with humans, we go so far as to plant huge crops and bend over backwards to make fruit happy!

This reminds me of Michael Pollan’s awesome TED lecture.

You know, I didn’t realize that food is just as dependent as I am on it in this relationship. This is a whole new level of my relationship with food that I have been taking for granted, forget rushing to food itself already!
I think I may still need more time apart to really process all this…3 more days of master cleanse…thank god!

PS-Mom is back! She had a mere slip, not a fall! It makes such a huge difference to have a partner, I couldn’t have imagined. I got anxiety-”hungry” the minute I was without her, but managed to drink tea instead of giving in to a craving.