Day 21 - Finito, Finished, Done, Over, Complete, Concluded

When people say to me: "How do you do so many things?"

I often answer them, without meaning to be cruel: "How do you do so little?"

It seems to me that people have vast potential.

Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks.

Yet most people don't.

They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever.

~Philip Adams

Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.

~John Dewey

Detox is over and done with. What a feeling of freedom. A freedom of choice to eat what I wish once again. To celebrate, I made a steaming pot of beef stew and shared it with my neighbors along with a bottle of wine. I also enjoyed a bit of coffee ice cream for dessert. Ok fine, I ate the whole pint but I didn't have breakfast or lunch so I think I was in the clear ok?

General Highs:
My chin rash is just about to disappear into oblivion and my face has never been so clear. The underarms appear to have recovered from constant itching. My hip, which is prone to arthritic tendencies and the culprit of many sleepless nights, has ceased to continually ache. Knock on wood but I haven't had a headache the whole time. I'm off caffeine completely and my pants are looser. My mind is clear and I feel more at ease. I can also get a killer buzz off of just 1 beer or 1 glass of wine - cheap date I am now!

General Lows:
I'm thinking that the chin rash is related to an egg sensitivity. Which is fine, I'm not a huge egg fan it's just that it happens to be an ingredient in a lot things I like. But I can live with that.

What I love about this detox is that it brought me full circle, alighting finally and once again, on the very same spot I was rooted firmly to for years. The same spot that I so willingly abandoned for a time. What I'm talking about is reclaiming my good eating habits. In the past, if I was hungry, I never reached for a piece of cake. Instead, I made my self a half a sandwich with hummus and sprouts or ate a banana. I never ate until I was full and any splurges were made of things like a small handful of carob chips, a soy mocha with no whip, or a dark chocolate bar with nuts and dried fruits.

But over time I left that spot more and more until finally, I never came back and my memories vanished with time. So in living through 21 days of this detox and adhering mostly to it, I found my way back in addition to my memories and knowledge of health being restored. It's interesting how the society of today's food can completely absorb your whole being into oblivious eating habits - being completely unaware of where our food comes from, who grows it, how do they grow it, how does its manufacturing or farming practices affect other humans, animals and habitats, how far it travels to get to the grocery store, and by the time it hits our dinner tables - how much nutrition is actually left in it. Once I became aware of the answers to those questions, I became more wary of the food of society. Lucky for me, I am growing up in a changing world. A world that now brings to the forefront these food questions and issues and allows me to make better food choices. Not just for the health of the environment or the support of locally grown food but also for the health of my mind, body and soul - my soul belly. So in the words of Doug Larson - "Establishing goals is all right if you don't let them deprive you of interesting detours", -I vow right here and right now to not stray too long again, but of course will be absolutely sure to enjoy a treat now and again that is not a part of the better good, but those will be limited and rare.

So yes, I struggled at times with this detox, sometimes being unwilling to budge from my old habits. But all in all, I'm proud of myself for sticking to it. I summoned courage, creativity, support and willpower when I needed it most. And now that I've reached this goal, I have many more visions of my future that I want to reach now. So I will use this blog from here on out to keep you posted and to keep me honest and on track with new goals that I will pursue. Thank you for your support and humor during these 21 days! Here's wishing you a happy soul belly!