The Cleanse

First week recap - Amidst a great deal of complaining - the whole family succeeded (survived) the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh days.  Meleea has produced a couple fantastic soups for dinner.  The one I helped with was a travesty.  I was the only one who ate it and I only did it to prove how committed I am.  I made a healthy but clearly not delicious or satisfying green shake with kale for breakfast.  Headaches reared up in the afternoon the first couple days and I can feel myself building for a mucus explosion.  I'm finally starting to feel like I'm in a groove.  The rest of the family is done but I'm doing liquid for breakfast and dinner with a solid meal for lunch.
I lost about five pounds and peed about once every 10 minutes (ok - not quite that much).
All of us could tell some improvement.

The rest of the family eased off after the first week.  I kept going.

I've lost about 10 pounds.  No headaches.  Great, deep sleep waking up without my tongue coated in goo.  Very increased energy level.  Reduced heart rate.

I went for a bike ride today.  Not sure if it's a result of weight lifting or the cleanse or both but I'm much faster for much longer.

I'm also more patient, more kind and less snappy.  Ask Meleea.

I keep thinking about the time Jesus said that whoever seeks to save his life will loose it, but he who gives it up willingly for his sake will find it.  Part of this effort for me is acknowledging and honoring the wonder of a fearfully made body.  It's capable of health, healing, strength, endurance, mood regulation, and a host of other almost supernatural accomplishments.  I believe in this creation and I'm interested to see how it performs when I treat it well instead of abusing it.

I finished the cleanse on Tuesday last week but I've continued with minor deviations (read - Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich on Friday night and taco dinner for Cinco De Mayo)  Still no dairy or wheat based stuff.

I think I'm going to just keep going.  It's not that hard and I feel great.  I'm hoping my allergies are significantly reduced.

I'll let you know.

It's Gotta Be a Person

Energy is Not Lovable

What is lacking in the theory that my life force - my soul, is part of a collective, un-named energy that I partake in whether alive or “dead” - what is missing is a personality.  I need an energetic relationship, not just energy.  Someone I know that I can trust and rely on when I have needs beyond myself.  

How To Be A Neighbor - Another Coffee Metaphor

Coffee that truly represents the farmer’s intentions goes through a careful, intentional process.  You may have seen stickers about direct trade on bags of beans (they are actually cleaned, dried and roasted cherry pits).  The claims these stickers are making refer mostly to treatment of the laborers that harvest and process coffee.  Most of the coffee growing, harvesting and processing... process takes place in parts of the world where employees are not required to pay good wages or offer working conditions that we here in our comfortable country would tolerate.  These are poor countries full of poor people.  The idea, particularly of direct trade is that the coffee buyers such as Stump Town Coffee work directly with the farmers to ensure both good pay and working conditions for laborers.  This is reflected in the cost of their coffee and absorbed by all the shops who serve it.  When you pay a bit more, you are sharing your wealth with those who worked to provide that hot, delicious cup.

There is however, another element of the harvesting process interesting to discuss as a thought provoking metaphor. 

Ain't That Simple

It just ain’t that simple.  Life.  It’s complex.  Seriously, and I’m sorry about this, I know I often find some comfort in this effort, but - there really is no way to break life down into a few easy steps.  It’s not something we can wrap our brains around.  If I’m paying attention, really aware of all the different pieces of any experience, I can’t even wrap my head around one event.  In the end, even in the beginning, this is better.  Infinitely better.  Imagine if we really could understand – boredom would overwhelm us.

To illustrate complexity in a simple event, let’s take pounding a nail. 

A Productive Cough

Dear Neighbor,

This is not another quick and easy way to figure life out, yours or someone else’s.  Hopefully, you will not find a list of steps to achieve something or little clusters of tips and tricks in the margins.  If you do find them… beware – they are tricks (not mine).  I have no magical formula to offer and no quick fix. 

This is an invitation.  It is a challenge.  I am passing it on.  It was extended to us a couple thousand years ago by a man named Jesus who claimed to be The Savior of the World.  I believe his claim.  If you don’t already, I invite you to investigate.  Follow him a while; listen to him with your heart.  Watch what he does and how it affects people.  Work shoulder to shoulder with him.  See who he leads you to and what they ask of you and offer to you.  Experience his generosity, his restfulness, his mirth, mystery and his miraculous ability to live in exactly the right sized moments.   I promise, if you are willing, you will be amazed.  If you do believe his claim – do the same thing.  You’ll be amazed more and more again. 

Why I Read

I do not read only to learn.  I do not read to gather facts and information – to hold them and at earliest opportunity, regurgitate.  I do not read or study to capture the world in my mind and define it.  It would be a perverse limitation and I am infinitely limited for the task.

Cold Feet

feet on floor

Ah yes, I think I woke up.  At the very least, I can tell that the bottoms of my feet are colder than they should be if they are still ensconced under the covers.  Probably means they are resting on the concrete floor by my bed and I haven’t found my fluffy slippers yet.  I’m not sure this really qualifies as woke up, but it is a great comparison.  I spend so much time upright and moving without being attentive.  I notice this lack of awareness when I’m gently jolted into interest.  I’m embarrassed that I spend so much time like a zombie.  Just moving forward, concerned only with what I will consume next, unaware that what I consume does not nourish.  Why live as a zombie if I’m not dead?

Is FB Like Coffee?

My two favorite non-eternally significant arguments are over coffee and running.  People say to me, “I don’t like coffee,”  or they say, “I don’t like running.”My initial, knee jerk (emphasis on jerk although I think the phrase is really punny in context) is to say, “well, fine, I don’t like you.”  I realize this is just my insecurity showing itself and I can usually find other reasons to like people even with such glaring character flaws. 

Non-Profit?

My daughter asked me yesterday what to tell people when they ask, “what does your dad do?”  It’s not the first time she’s asked that.  It was an easy question for most of her life.  He’s a contractor… slot filled, box checked, identity neatly secured.  If I trained her right, and I did, her answer might even produce a lead for a job. 

For the last few years, no one really knows what I do.  Including me.  I have been busy enough.  I think I’ve avoided apathy entirely and hope I’ve dodged lazy and good-for-nothing.  It’s just that my answer to, “what do you want to be when you grow up,” has been inconveniently interrupted by the growing. 

Is FB Like Porn?

I’m having a change of mind.  I may be having a change of heart but it takes a bit longer.  This change of mind is in testing phase and my heart rarely gets totally involved with my mind unmade.  For all recent history, skepticism dominated my perspective on social media.  I’ve agreed with many that it fosters shallow, disconnected, voyeuristic communication.  It’s lazy.  Too easy to sit glassy eyed, surfing and commenting to be funny or interesting.  Too possible to replace real and risky with safe and anonymous, even secret.  I can watch the offerings of another supposed life and never be noticed by them, somehow, mysteriously included but never drawn in. 

It’s like porn. 

I Ran a Marathon

I ran a marathon.  Rather, it ran over me.  Why people volunteer for such torture, is difficult to explain.  I speak as one of the crazy people who did volunteer.  Though it produced some of the greatest physical discomfort I have ever endured, I would do it again.  I think I will do it again.  Maybe soon.  It hasn’t been that long (3 days) – I’m not ready to make any declarations.  I will do it again for many reasons.  It changed my life.  I will never again be a non-marathoner.  I will never wish I’d run a marathon.  I can stand in a group of skinny, tightly clothed people and nod knowingly.  I have a t-shirt.  Supposedly, we are the 1% (there were signs along the route that said “99% of the population can’t do this, you are the 1%).  I have my own stories of cramps, hills, other runners and murderous preparations.

Interestingly, and I heard this from runners around me on the course also, I don’t agree with the sign.