Paradigm Shift

The other night, as I was about to drift off to sleep I realized that I had been experiencing a gradual paradigm shift over the last couple of months.  Maybe it's just all of this juice going to my head or maybe it's a result of the clarity I've felt during my juice fast.  That clarity could also be the result of sleeping better.  When I started this juice fast 62 days ago I was 56lbs heavier and was only sleeping 2-3 hours at a time during the night.  I was constantly waking up during the night and often had to sleep sitting up in my living room chair because I was able to breathe easier that way.  Whatever the reason, I can see clearly now the road ahead of me and it's paved with hope.  

I am hopeful because spending this time cleaning out my body with fresh pressed juice seems to have washed away my fear my hunger. I've been chased by an unrelenting hunger most of my life and was afraid the hunger from only drinking juice would be unbearable, but I've been amazed at how manageable my hunger has been.  And the fear of hunger that has been a monkey on my back for so long seems to have found somewhere else to live.  Hopefully, he won't come back when I start eating bananas again.

I'm still amazed that I've been juicing for more than 60 days.  My last day will be this Friday and I'm excited to start chewing food again.  I am so excited about the changes ahead of me in the coming months and transformation that juicing has had on my body and my mind.  As I was writing about this shift I've felt tonight I came across this quote on a friend's Facebook page that sums up perfectly what I've been thinking and feeling lately.

"Change is a transition from dysfunctional behavior to functional behavior. Functionality means skill in achieving healthy goals. To change psychologically is to become skillful at handling things better now than we did before. Change is a psychological event; transformation is a spiritual gift. Transformation, unlike change, cannot be achieved; it happens. Transformation means love, wisdom, and healing in thought, word and deed." ~ David Richo

Simple Pleasures

I'm still juicing (today is day 56) and helping my Omaha clients get organized before I move to Santa Fe in May.  I'm planning to end my juice fast on February 28th, which will make 65 days.  I've lost 52lbs so far and only 11lbs away from my first goal.  Starting March 1st I'll transition back into solid food with a little fruit and salad each day.  Ultimately, I'll be back to eating a balanced breakfast and lunch, and juice during the evenings to help keep the evening munchies at bay.   

Juicing has become a "gateway drug" for me and is leading me down a path to permanent change in my eating habits.  Not just to lose weight, but to heal my body after a lifetime of overeating and filling my body with processed food.  I am nervous about having more choices once I'm done with my juice fast and accept that I will fall off the organic wagon, but I know juicing will always be my ticket for that ride.

I've also set a date for move for the weekend of May 16th and plan to have another garage sale the week before to sell the rest of my furniture anything that won't fit in my car.  Until then, I am helping my Mom manage the remodel of her new apartment, fostering my son's cat Bella and enjoying each day with my friends and clients here in Omaha.

Some of my simple pleasures today are getting these lovely flowers from a lovely friend & juicing new combinations of fruit & vegetables.  I'm still astonished by the pleasure I get from shopping for vegetables for my daily juices & really enjoyed this combo of cherry tomatoes, carrots and orange pepper this afternoon.   I also spent some time with my 21 year old son tonight looking at the artwork I saved from his elementary days.  It such a pleasure to hear him laugh at the poems he wrote for me when he was a little boy.  Now it's time for my other simple pleasure, bedtime.

Live Your Best Life

Well, it's been 1 month since I started my juice fast, which I'm now calling a "Juice Feast" thanks to my friend Beth, who did her own 60 days of juicing last year.  I love her idea of using the word FEAST instead of FAST because that's exactly how it feels.  I haven't felt deprived at all during the last 31 days.  I'm still excited about all of the beautiful organic vegetables and fruit available and continue to try new veggies and juice recipes.  I figured out how to juice large batches (5-6 pints) at a time and I'm even thinking about having a JUICE PARTY to get all of my friends who have also been juicing or are interested in juicing together to share our experience, recipes and juicing tips.  I'm a wild & crazy girl!

My vision for my best life today involves keeping everything simple, from my food choices to my possessions and even my relationships.  I'm beginning to understand that life is only as complicated as I choose to make it and that by simply changing my attitude I am able to recognize the feast of abundance that is available to all of us.  I just never thought that I'd come to that realization as the result of getting rid of most of my personal belongings and juicing.  I guess clarity is another side effect of my recent endeavors. 

What are you doing to live your best life today?