Thank you to Mama Maple for taking this beautiful photo.

Where were you on July 6, 2009?

I was sitting at my laptop blogging these 9 things about how I wanted my life to be different in 30 days:

July 6, 2009:
Describe the me that I would like to be in 30 days: I wake up happy and excited to see what the day has in store. I feel so good about putting myself first every morning. I am easily able to discern what is good for me and what is not for me in a particular moment. I understand more about how I work. I am unique and I’m more familiar with me than I am with me in comparison to others. I am vibrant and honest. I feel shiny and sparkly inside. I am clear and confident. I’m proud of being me and love how I’m taking care of me.

I definitely didn’t fit that description 30 days after I wrote it…

But it’s now July 7, 2010…a whole year later…and guess what? They’re all true.

Wish #1 – I wake up happy and excited to see what the day has in store.

More often than not, this is now true for me. I love it! I wake up, plug in the white lights that I hung around the ceiling, then I lay back, smile and think, “I love it here!”

My room is absolutely beautiful and it makes me so happy. It mostly has red, orange, pink, and purple in it. There are green plants; 5 of them. I have a cool frog (Freddie) on my wall. He’s made of metal and he’s 3D and looks like he’s hanging there by his little suction cup feet. There are paper lanterns hanging in one corner. It’s my dream room. And it’s so fun to wake up in.

This has come true.

Wish #2: I feel so good about putting myself first each morning.

Yes I do! I have my little morning rituals – they vary sometimes – but Me Time is always there. Whether I’m walking around the block, meditating, sitting in the sun drinking my fresh juice, journaling, inquiring, singing to myself, or doing sun salutations…the morning is mine. And I feel AWESOME about it.

This has come true.

Wish #3: I am easily able to discern what is good for me and what is not good for me in a particular moment.

I am a chillion times better at this than I was when I originally wrote it. Why? Because I’m trusting myself more. I’m trusting my intuition. Trusting my life. Trusting my path.

There are times, especially when I am thinking of existential things and my mind gets away from me, when I feel lost and have trouble discerning whether I should be sitting or standing (as a dramatic example.) But on the whole, I am good at saying yes and no – which is what this whole thing was about when I wrote it a year ago. To make a decision and feel good about it and trust that it is good. Particularly around activities I get involved with, people I spend time with, and foods that I eat. I am good at it!

This came true.

Wish #4: I understand more about how I work.

Hells yeah. Have you heard of Wealth Dynamics? Seriously changed the way I understood how I should be working. But not only that. I’ve realized that I am not someone who works well with deadlines that involve other people. Nope. Just not for me right now.

I also know that in order for me to enjoy my work, I need to feel like I have a relationship with my projects and the people I’m creating things for. Oh, and on the creating topic – it’s not my strong suit to create things. Partly because of the deadline thing…and the fact that I’ve had some wicked Business Injuries over the last couple of years – some of which I have not yet recovered.

So for sure. I understand more about how I work. And I am loving learning more about me in this area.

This came true.

Wish #5: I am unique and I am more familiar with me than I am with my comparison of me to other people.

(Wow. What an interesting thing to write!)

Truth: I compare myself to others so much less frequently now. It’s almost amazing. I do things in public that I would not have done previously. Things like TALK to people in grocery stores. And make small talk with clerks in shops. I smile. A lot. And I am too busy having fun in my world to spend much time thinking about what others are thinking about me.

It’s so refreshing…it’s like…wow. Really refreshing.

And I really like me. More than I ever have.

This came true.

Wish #6: I am vibrant and honest.

Vibrant. Yes.

Honest. Yes.

Continuing to bring awareness to both. Yes. Especially about being honest with myself about how I’m feeling and not trying to control it or limit the degree to which I feel something. Preventing myself from feeling fully is on of the biggest ways I Upper Limit myself and stop myself from experiencing more joy, success, love, and abundance.

Wish #7 : I feel shiny and sparkly inside.

Oh yes! This had a lot to do with my health and now that I’m so on track with taking care of my insides, I totally do feel fresh and shiny and sparkly. I know that my insides are happy and enjoying the way I’m treating them. And all the good stuff that I’m giving them. And when I went to my brother’s wedding last month all my friends and family said I looked vibrant and healthy too.

This has come true.

Wish #8 – I am clear and confident.

Yes! And with that comes a feeling of maturity. Of independence. Know that I’m totally here for me and willing to do what it takes to take care of myself. I feel good about my choices and I’m confident and trusting that all is well and my life is wonderful. It can’t be otherwise. I’m finally getting this.

This has come true.

Wish #9 -  I am proud of being me and I love how I’m taking care of me.

Oh my gosh. I don’t think I ever expected to feel this proud of myself. To like myself so much and to appreciate the things that I do for myself on a daily basis. I have so much respect for what I do to sustain my life and enjoy it!

A year ago I was wanting to change my life in 30 days. Those initial changes got the ball rolling – now a year later – every one of those desires I had have become true. Super cool.

How would you like to be different in the next 30 days?

And would it be okay with you if they all came true in the next year?

Some people ask me how I’m able to eat the way I eat.

They’re amazed that I don’t cook my food.

And that I don’t feel deprived all the time.

And that I manage to survive without cheese or sugar.

They think it takes will power, so they tell themselves they could never do it.

They think it requires a lot of time, so they tell themselves they could never do it.

But they totally can do it.

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

It comes down to this:

Are you willing to feel good more often?

I know it sounds like a weird question…

But I mean it…

Would it be okay with you if you felt good more often?

Would it be okay with you if you didn’t feel so __insert negative emotion of choice__ ?

Would it be okay if you felt open-hearted, peaceful, hopeful and happy about your life?

Most people would say, “Absolutely! Pass the Happy!”

But what they say and what they do are entirely different things…

The things they do DON’T help them get happier.

And I used to do this same thing.

I said I wanted to feel better. I said things like, “I just want to be happy…” “I want to feel at peace w/my life.”

But then I didn’t act according to that. It was just lip service. My actions didn’t back me up.

I’d go out at lunch and have a bunch of Thai noodles and peanut sauce and fried tofu, oily curry and rice, and then feel full, heavy, and exhausted.

Then I’d have to take a nap for 2 hours because the food made me so tired…

And I’d wake up feeling groggy – never really perking up all the way back up….

Then I’d eat my Thai leftovers and veg out in front of the TV until I went to bed.

Umm HELLO?

That’s not what someone who wants to feel GOOD does.

People who want to feel good don’t eat food that makes them feel bad.

Duh.

They don’t eat food that makes them tired, have a headache, or be unable to concentrate or come crashing down later.

People who want to feel good eat food that helps them feel good…if not better!

(They certainly don’t eat food that makes them feel worse.)

People who want to feel good eat food that gives them energy so they can do whatever they choose to do.

People who want to feel good spend time working through their own drama instead of spending hours watching TV about other people’s dramas.

I said that I wanted to feel good – and I loved the idea of it – but the truth was that I didn’t really want to feel good.

I wasn’t ready yet. That’s why I ate things that made me feel bad.

I just wasn’t ready to feel good yet.

I didn’t think it was okay.

And a really big part of it was that I didn’t think I could feel good.

I was kinda attached and stuck in the place I was at and didn’t get that I actually could feel better.

Now that I know I deserve to feel good, my food choices are easier…

I’m very clear about WHY I eat the way I do.

I eat what I eat because I know it’s going to support me in feeling good and celebrating my life!

My body and my mind feel great because of what I choose to eat.

Check in with yourself:

Did you intentionally choose the way you’re eating?

Or are you eating the way you eat out of default?

Do you know WHY you’re eating the way you’re eating?

Do you know WHY you’re eating the things you’re eating?

What do you base your food choices on? Taste? Texture? Price? Nutrient levels? Calories? Expiration date? Location? Convenience?

Doing that thing I do with my food isn’t even about the food…

It’s just one of many things that have changed in my life as a result of choosing to feel good.

So everyone thinks that juicing takes FOREVER which is a big reason that a lot of folks stay away from it.

But I just made 1.25 gallons (5 quarts) of juice in less than 50 minutes…

1.25 Gallons (5 Quarts) of Fresh Juice Made In Less Than 50 Minutes.

And that included set up and clean up time.

(Yes, I totally rock!)

Here’s what’s involved:

Juicer Set Up

This is easy if you have the juicer cleaned from the time before when you used it. Never let your juicer sit over night with pulp and food in it. That will be bad for your machine and also make it way less enjoyable to clean later on. The more it sits there, the more caked on the stuff gets. So always clean your machine so that it’s ready for your to put together in a jiffy when you’re ready.

Food Prep

I put a cutting board across the non-disposal side of my sink. That’s where you’ll do all your chopping. You will rinse things on the side with the disposal in case things fall down and off your foods.

Food Storage

Keep similar foods grouped together in your fridge. This makes it easy when you go to get things out.

• Spinach: all in one bag. The bag I have in the fridge has like 5 huge batches of it in there now.
• Romaine: Shove 3 or 4 heads in one huge plastic bag. Make sure you keep them in a bag or they will wilt like crazy.
• Celery: This will also wilt a lot if you don’t keep it in a bag. (I am all for using sustainable bags, but when I go to the produce store and they give me big sturdy plastic bags I reuse them for my storage for a long time.)
• Cilantro, kale, chard, red bell pepper: I keep these things in the same bag since I don’t buy tons at a time.
• Carrots: Do not require being in a bag immediately
• Apples, lemons, oranges, limes, tomatoes, bananas: I leave these on the counter top
• Strawberries: Rinse after buying and put them in ziplock bags. Use fairly quickly. They will go bad and get soggy even when in the bags. You can freeze them for smoothies, but frozen strawberries don’t go through most juicers very well. (Champion juicer is an exception. You can put frozen fruit in there and make sorbet.)

Recipes

Using recipes is going to make your job easier and go faster because you won’t be looking at all your produce thinking, “Okay, what the hell should I put in next?”

Here are some of my simple favorites:

Bugs Bunny:
5 Carrots
1 Head of Romaine

Green Monkey:
1 lb spinach
2 apples
2 bananas
Float ice cubes

Sweet Morning Juice
1 big orange (peeled)
1 apple
3 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 inch ginger (always put ginger in first so that it can be pushed through the juicer by the other ingredients)

Crisp Veggie Juice
1/2 head romaine
2 stalks of kale
2 stalks of celery
5 inches of cuke
4 carrots

Green Bloody Mary
2 big tomatoes
3 stalks celery
1/4 red bell pepper
2 stalks chard
2 cups green cabbage
handful cilantro
fresh baby garlic
salt/pepper/cayenne afterward

Pineapple Delight
1/2 of a pineapple
1/2 head romaine
3 stalks celery
1/2 cuke

(Some of these recipes are adapted from www.ChoosingRaw.com. Thanks for the inspiration!)

Storage

Mason jars are a beautiful invention. I got like 12 of them at Albertson’s for about $1 a piece…if that. It was awesome. Juice is best to drink right after you make it, but when you’re Juice Feasting and drinking THIS much juice, it’s totally impractical to make each batch right before you go to drink it. So store them in these jars, put them in the fridge and then enjoy them all day.

Clean up.

Clean up as you go and the mess won’t be so bad afterwards. Take the garbage can out from under the sink if that’s where you usually keep it and have it handy for scrap things that fall on the floor and extra pulp that pops out of different places. You’ll also need it for bags that are no longer usuable, rubber bands that were around your produce, stickers that were on your apples, banana peels, and wires that were wrapped around celery stalks and things like that.

A note on bananas:

Not all juicers like having bananas put through them. My JackLaLanne doesn’t seem to mind. I push them slowly and then push other hard fruit down to get the Essence of Banana flavor to come through. That’s all I’m looking for in mine. If your juicer does not like bananas, make your juice in your juicer then put it in your blender and add a whole banana or a half of one. You’ll get some fiber and if you’re okay with that, then go for it!

Timing

The way I timed myself this morning was by playing a CD while I juiced. (Actually it was my Erasure playlist on iTunes.) When I was done setting up, making the juice and cleaning up, I looked at how many songs had played and added them all up for the length of each song. It came out to 49 minutes and 57 seconds. Just under 50 minutes and I had ALL this delicious juice to last me all day long.

The more you do your juicing the more you’ll find your flow with it. I’ve been doing this for 20 days now, so I’m getting pretty good at chopping, prepping, juicing and cleaning my machine. You’ll get great at it to. I believe in you and you can do it!

I am Juice Feasting: Meaning that the aim is to drink at least a Gallon of fresh juice a day.

At first I thought it was going to be hard. Like that’s A LOT of juice!

But just yesterday I realized that my quart sized mason jars make it SO easy!

Drink 4 of my mason jars filled with goodness and that = a Gallon!

So simple.

So I have been drinking a Gallon of juice easily for at least the last week.

What this means?

I am getting stronger and my insides are healing.

Sa-weet!

When I first came out of the hospital on Jan. 31, I could barely drink 3-5 CUPS of water in a day.

20 days later, I am drinking at least a gallon of juice and at least 2 quarts of water. (I choose to upgrade the number of quarts of water I’m drinking as well.)

So it’s Amazing!

Some other things that are helping:

- Making juices that I love.

I am not getting fancy right now with exotic greens. I am sticking with spinach, romaine, kale, and chard. (Dandelion greens, stinging nettles, all these other interesting things from the farmer’s market can wait. They wind up going bad and I make juices that I don’t like the taste of, so they are off the list right now. And I love them for later.)

- Prepping all of my juice for the day at once.

It takes about an hour maybe? I haven’t actually timed it, but it’s all fine because I consider it major self-care time. It’s fun. I hum I love you I love you I love you to my veggies as I push them through the juicer. Such amazing colors come out of the juicer. And I like to stir the bowl I catch the juice in with a spoon like I’m a little chef making cool potions to taste.

- Using recipes.

Yes, I could just look in the fridge and grab what’s there, but I don’t always have the right proportions of things. By going online and looking for recipes to try and tweak to my liking it takes the brain work out of making the juices and I can trust that what I create is going to turn out to be something that I ENJOY drinking. Here’s one I made up:

Green Pineapple Juice:

- 1/2 pineapple
- 1/2 head of romaine lettuce
- 2 full sticks of celery

Juice and enjoy! Super refreshing.

- Straining

Some of my juices are coming out more pulpy than I would like with my JackLaLanne juicer. So I have a paint bag/nutmilk bag that I strain them with. That helps everything. Because of my intestinal issues in the past, I am really choosing to give them a break and not have them require breaking down food.

- Emotional Work

It’s essential that I continue to do my inner clearing and work as I’m doing this. Stuff comes up and if I don’t have tools and approaches for working with it, it would be a serious bummer. If you’re considering doing a serious juice feast/cleanse, make sure you have emotional support of someone who knows the road.

I do The Work every morning on the same thought: “This shouldn’t be happening.” Anything in my life that I don’t like, I apply to that inquiry and I question it. I learn something new about myself and my world every time.

I do 15 minutes of “square breathing” as some people call it. 7 counts in. 7 counts hold. 7 counts out. 7 counts hold. I count as fast as I need to do it comfortably without hurting myself or feeling stressed about running out of air. Each time I do it I’m able to do it better and better in terms of increasing lung capacity. I have different mantras that have 7 sayings in them too (sometimes all the same like “i love you” and I say those during this sometimes too instead of just counting.)

- Enemas.

I am doing these nearly every day and they help me feel fresh and clear. I am pooing on my own as well and it’s important to me to get everything I can out as I’m doing this juicing. I am planning on starting to do to Aloe Enemas also because aloe is very healing and I have had intestinal/color sores in the past.

- Imagination

I am doing a lot of inner child work (talking to parts of me) during my emotional work. This has proven especially helpful when the thought comes in like Ooo I want some french fries. Something i would never eat right now, but have an interst and thought focus on eating for a while anyway. So I pretend that I am eating french fries…and it totally does the trick. I imagine eating a big hot basket of them with ketchup and salt and having friends around. I put my fingers to my mouth and pretend I’m nibbling on them like a squirrel and I imagine how good they are. This takes about 30 seconds max. And then I’m done with it. As a result, I am not struggling with cravings of any kind.

If I think of a food that smells/tastes good, I give it to myself in my imagination and it is perfect. Most hunger is in the imagination anyway. We tend to be ruled by our tongues and what they want to taste. That’s it. My tongue isn’t in control of everything I eat anymore. I love you tongue.

- Oils

During the first week, I craved oils big time. I got a jar of Flax Oil. I drink 2 big spoonsfuls a day straight from the jar. I’m going to start upping that to 4 TBPS (2 of them 2x a day) and then also add in some Hemp Oil if I enjoy the taste of it. I am still taking oils.

- Watering My Insides

Giving my body fresh juice like this has really helped change the relationship I have with my insides. I often think about all the pink fleshy parts of my mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, intestines, colon, liver, etc.

I imagine that when I’m drinking the juice it’s coating all of the lovely pink parts and they are so happy to absorb the goodness like sponge. So much happier than if I were to throw a chomped up triscuit down there with some cheese on it or something. Or even so much happier than if I were to throw some raw food lasagna down there since I have been a raw vegan for a year.

My body is so happy to be receiving these liquid nutrients and to be “watered” with love like this.

Juice Feasting has been awesome. I love it. I am feeling good. I am healing. I feel good and I am healthy. I take great care of myself and give my body everything it requires. I dance and I walk around the block. I went on my first bike ride last night since being out of the hospital too. One of my goals is to be able to ride my bike to the beach. 15 minutes with some slight hills. I can do it! I will get there.

I love you and thank you for your support and kindness. My life is so beautiful. I am surrounded by support. And I love and respect my life path.

Okay…

Heard from Larry Winget on Twitter about this commercial:

larrywinget TV commercial: Coach to girls hockey team, “You played like Olympians, now let’s go eat like Olympians.” Then they go to McDonalds. Right.

GRRR!

I wrote back to him:

@larrywinget Ugh. Knowing that commercial exists pisses me off right now. Thanks for giving me something to work on. Stuff’s gotta change.

THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING!

1. Is that true?

2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true? (What’s the reality?)

3. How do you react when all that stuff is happening and you believe the thought: It shouldn’t be happening?

4. Who would you be, knowing that all this is going on, if you didn’t have the thought: This shouldn’t be happening?

Taking a deep breath. I would get back in touch with myself. I didn’t even see the commercial that was mentioned on Twitter. I have no idea if it was really on. But that’s besides the point. Even if it was on…it is not my business who decides to go to McDonald’s after watching it.


People are going to go to McDonald’s today like they have since the 1950′s or whenever it opened. It is part of this culture. It’s like some people are going to ride bikes today. Some will fall. Some will drive cars. Some will crash. Some will eat at McDonald’s, others will eat other things. Everything is in perfect order like that as it has been forever.


I would be more in my business again. I would go get my fresh juice this morning and appreciate it. I would take care of me. I would not worry about what others are doing with their bodies right now. I have enough to look at with my own body and bringing it back to vital health after my recent health issues. I would feel loving again.

I would be glad that whoever went to McDonald’s was getting something to eat that they wanted. That they could afford. That made them happy. That helped McDonald’s make money so they could do their McDonald’s house charity for cancer or whatever it focuses on. I would be grateful again.


I would be glad for the Olympics that they have a big name sponsor who can help them get more attention. That makes me happy for the athletes who have worked their whole lives to get to where they are and by McDonald’s partnering with them, more people around the world will tune into the Olympics possibly to see these great athletes and celebrate their lives and their hard work. This is a beautiful thing. That commercial is great in that way.

TA> This should not be happening (in my thinking.)

It’s a huge question that comes up when people find out that you have a 100% raw veggie based diet…

Where do you get your protein?

Sadly, we have been raised with very little education about where protein comes from and generally assume that you can only get it from animal products like meat, chicken, fish, or dairy products.

This is not true.

Protein is actually everywhere in nature – and there are tons of animals on the planet who benefit from protein without having to eat their own kind or other little living critters.

As I’m into raw food juicing right now, look at all the sources I have for getting amazing amounts of protein:

spinach–49% protein
broccoli–45% protein
lettuce–34% protein
cauliflower–40% protein
kale–45% protein
zucchini–28% protein
cabbage–22% protein
Chinese cabbage–34% protein
Mung beansprouts–43% protein
mushrooms–38% protein
lemons–16% protein
honeydew melon–10%
strawberries, oranges, cherries, apricots, watermelon, and grapes–8% protein

Source: Nutritive Value of American Foods in Common
Units, USDA Handbook No. 456

Any of the items on this list can be juiced or blended along with other fruits and veggies and turned into delicious drinks that will give me all the protein I require.

On a chart here with levels of proteins for cow steak, the one with the most protein is a boiled steak and it only has 32 % protein. Not too shabby, but fresh spinach has 49%!

Plus, when you blend your spinach and your protein-rich greens, you get to absorb the protein much better than if your body has to digest it out of a big hunk of cow muscle that you just swallowed.

Protein is EASY to get through fresh raw food if you’re leading a raw-food lifestyle (or vegan or vegetarian for that matter…)

You just have to know the truth about where it comes from so that you can give yourself plenty of these fresh green leafy veggies.

Here’s a quick fun recipe to get some protein in ya:

Fruity Green Smoothie (With Natural Protein!)

• 2 C water
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1.5 C frz blueberries
• 1 orange (peeled)
• Dab of agave to taste for sweetness

Blend and get ready to smile!

I often tell myself that I want to feel good and better…

And yet on another hand, I’m afraid of feeling well.

It’s weird.

But definitely something I’m aware of.

So I’m going to get some of this stuff out there so I can be *more* aware of it.

Why I don’t want to feel good. Why I’m sometimes afraid of feeling good:

• If I feel good, people will expect too much from me.
• If I feel good, people will judge me as being too happy.
• If I feel good, I’ll just get sick again.
• If I feel good, bad things will happen.
• If I feel good, people will want stuff from me.
• If I feel good, I’ll have to change.
• If I feel good, life will be scarier.
• If I feel good, I’ll be unsafe.
• If I feel good, I’ll be vulnerable.
• If I feel good, people will take advantage of me.

No wonder I haven’t always felt good in the past.

These kinds of concepts stop me from being totally aligned with what I say I want. I *think* I want to feel good, but underneath there are these things that make me go, “Well, maybe not….”

Have you ever noticed a fear of feeling good?

I mean, logically it makes sense that you want to feel good…

But underneath it, what have some of the things been that kinda keep you from feeling totally free to feel your best?

There’s something I gotta say…

And I probably say it on behalf of a lot of people who go through mysterious health issues that every well-meaning person wants to help you with…

The thing I gotta say right now is:

“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Not super original, but it’s totally important here.

Sometimes we have issues going on in our lives where we want problems solved…

We need troubleshooting. We need questions raised. We need to explore the possibilities of what could go wrong and what might not workout.

We need our friends to say to us, ” Are you sure about that? Because it’s sounds a little messed up and wonky for these reasons…”

Then if we’re lucky, we’re willing and available to listen to some of the wisdom they can share with us.

This kind of interaction with people is really valuable when we’re in a confused place and thinking clearly is hard.

But there are other times when that kind of feedback and input isn’t what’s best…

There are times when hearing about all the bad stuff that could go wrong, and the things to “keep in mind” and the things that might be worth worrying about – even a little bit – just don’t contribute to the conversation in a positive way.

I’m in one of these situations right now with my health…

So if you don’t have anything nice and supportive to say about my health and my choices, then please don’t say anything at all.

Not that I’m asking you to ignore your thoughts…

Just don’t share them with me.

Tell them to a friend. Write them on a piece of paper and put them behind a picture of Baby Jesus. Go to a message board and vent your concerns with some other people who have the same thoughts…

But please keep them to yourself.

I Require Positive Loving Support

This is what my healing path is about right now…and I’m recruiting positive, loving supportive team members!

If you’d like to be on the team, here’s my scoop:

- I’m doing liquid only eating right now.

I’ve been doing this for a little over a week and I see no end in sight for it as it is now. If you you are curious about my liquid diet approach and want to learn more and support me, instead of looking up stuff about how a liquid diet is BAD…do some research about the benefits of liquid diets for healing intestinal issues and then share *those* things with me. I will love hearing from you and receiving the great support!

- I am blending soups with raw organic cacao and mexican flavor super foods.

If you think superfoods are stupid, or you don’t think it’s a good idea to eat them on the same days I’m doing juicing…this healing supportive team is not for you. To be part of the team, see if you can find GREAT information about how healing superfoods are and how they can help me get stronger and better. I’d totally love it.

- I am drinking coconuts and fermenting some of the water also.

If you’d like to be a part of my healing team, find out more about the powers of coconut water and probiotics and fermentation. Skip articles you find about how coconuts are bleached and bad for you, fattening, or anything else that is not happy and encouraging and fun about them. Makes sense, right?

- I am interested in Garlic and Cayenne as well as other healing spices.

I choose to know more about how much is good for me and how often to take and in what form it’s good to have it. I don’t want to hear about why it’s going to be BAD for my system right now. I have done preliminary research and know these things are good for my insides. So now it’s just about finding out more. If you love me and want to help, please send information and resources about how I can use these spices better.

It’s Not Just About Pollyanna…

If and when I get concerned about something I am doing and I am considering changing it up, I’ll let you, my Lovely Health Team, know about it so that you can help me research other things.

Right now, it’s the MOST important to me that the habits I’m creating with my juicing and liquid diet food intake is being supported wholeheartedly.

It can be challenging enough to have a complete change in the way I ingest food – so I require all the loving support as I’m going through it as I can.

Who’s with me? xoxo

Last week I was in the hospital with a Crohn’s flare-up.

I required a blood transfusion from loss of blood and was heavily medicated with many things that I am now detoxing. Some I am still tapering off of. My weight has dropped significantly and it’s important that I am rebuilding myself with nutrients and lots of hydration.

I’m now staying with my friends in Southern California. I am grateful to be with them again. I am giving myself a retreat to heal myself and be healed and receive support from nurturing friends and food and community.

Being in the hospital around all the plugs, needles, cords, medicine, pain, etc. was not a happy time for the part of me that loves to have fun and be playful…

So I’m choosing to bring some fun into my healing so that I am enjoying every moment of this and getting the most out of it that I can.

Because I’m giving my insides a rest from having to do a lot of work with digestion as they’re healing, I’m doing what’s known as a Juice Feast – this means I can have as much as I want of any juice I choose to make out of fruits and veggies. It’s wonderful for sore insides because it’s very easy to absorb and assimilate.

So how to make this more fun for myself?

Here are some of the things I’m going to do to make this juicing experience more fun and creative:

- Draw a poster of my intestines and everything inside on a big piece of paper so that I can get intimately familiar with my parts and draw hearts on them and send them loving vibes several times a day as they are hanging on the wall.

- Create 3×5 cards with drawings of my favorite juice ingredients so I can see colorful representations of the foods that I enjoy the most. I can also deal them out like cards to create my ideal juice for that particular meal and make fun flavor combinations like a game.

- Design a little menu so that I can make sure I’m rotating foods and not having only watermelon juice or not enough spinach, etc. So I’ll be tracking how many different items I have in each day and I can know which I’m getting more of and less of. Still formulating in my mind how this chart will look/work.

- Host a Juice Party in 2 weeks. I’m going to invite my local friends over and have them bring some of their favorite things to put in juice and then we will put them all together and create delicious drinks for all of us to enjoy. I will have fancy glasses and straws and maybe party umbrellas. This will probably be combined with a game night where everyone brings their own game and we take turns playing them. (I love Bananagrams.)

- Draw a rainbow poster with pictures of the colorful fruits and veggies that go on each part of the spectrum. This will kind of go along with making sure that I’m having plenty of all the things from each of the categories and not having too much/too little of one thing.

Mmmm. Just listing these things out makes me feel so much more alive and ready to empower myself to take care of myself.

I’ll be getting out the markers, paper, crayons, and creativity on Wednesday as I spend this special time with myself.

Is there something creative you could draw or make a visual representation of that would help make taking care of yourself, your business, your family, your body – a little more fun and easy?

I love you. Thank you for being here.