Five Minutes of Happy

Inspiration for this post occurred to me yesterday while in the shower. Does this happen to you? Something about water tends to do that for me. Inspiration/information tends to flow better when I'm near water or, in this case, soaked in it.

Have you ever heard the phrase, energy flows where thoughts go? It's the law of attraction: what you focus on breeds more of the same. In my life, I find evidence of this truth nearly every day. Have you ever noticed how your day will just fall into place with whatever mood you select from the beginning? For instance, if you wake up cranky or spitting mad and hang onto it, things will transpire throughout that day to support you in that mode. Parking tickets, running late, dinged ankles, crazy drivers, dropped calls, drama, drama and more drama - all showing up to serve you in your crankiness. How blessed are you? Hey, you asked for it, right?

Conversely, if you start the day in a bright and cheery mood, everything just seems to fall into place to support you in that mode. The morning coffee is perfect, the kids are angels, bluebirds arrive to help you dress and everything just goes smooth as silk all day long. Okay, I may have stretched it a bit with the bluebird part, but you get the picture. Even kinks in your day don't seem to bother you as much if you're in a good frame of mind. And when things really go awry, a positive approach may be the only thing that saves you.

For the past 20 years or so, I've faced some pretty intense health issues. In the face of it all, I've transformed from a healthy (or so I thought,) vital and active woman leading a busy life to someone barely managing a day-to-day existence. Sounds bleak, doesn't it? It does to me as well. This is not my preferred way of being, nor is it even remotely acceptable to me. Proactive by nature, my mind is often sorting through information in an effort to find solutions to what ails me. The overwhelming immensity of it all can inspire exhaustion and more than a little despair at times.

That's where I found myself yesterday in the shower; absorbed in despair. Hubster called a few minutes earlier to remind me of a bill that had to be paid immediately, and I was still in my jammies muddling through what I've taken to calling my Oil Can Days. These are days in which I shuffle around feeling like the tin man from Wizard of Oz after a long, hard rainfall. These are not my best days. Or are they? My inner knowing is that there are blessings in every experience, even if such blessings aren't readily apparent.

So there I am, in the shower, navigating my way toward getting out the door to pay this bill, when all I wanted to do was stay home, snuggling on the couch in my jammies feeling miserable. Yeah...not my best look. And not my best state of being, either. That's when inspiration struck. I had just visited my naturopath a few days prior after receiving a rather challenging diagnosis. I know that Troy will be straight with me, and I completely appreciate him for it. He gave me a lot to ponder, and I was doing just that during my shower. He reminded me that none of us know how long we're going to live, and it's not the length of our lives that really matters. It's the quality in which we live them that truly counts. As such, standing there in the shower groaning about having to actually DO something with my day is not my idea of a quality existence.

Here's where the lightbulb turned on and a totally different thought wandered into the muck: What would happen if I spent the remainder of my shower thinking about something that felt happy? Wait...what? Two seconds before, I was about as far away from happy as I was to the Moon, but suddenly, just thinking about thinking happy thoughts made me feel a little lighter. I thought about a video of my granddaughter that my daughter-in-law had sent me that day, and I smiled before I could stop myself. Suddenly, the water spraying on me started to feel good. I noticed that the Sun was shining though the window. I hadn't noticed that it was a sunny day prior to that moment. Just like that, the room had color - I felt like Dorothy as she opened the door to her sepia-toned little house, and Oz was there in all its colorful splendor.

I know what you're thinking. No, bluebirds did not show up to towel me off. But they could have...in my mind. My point is, the day got better. Just like that. Yes, I'm still experiencing pain. Yes, I'm still facing some scary prospects with my health, but these things are just that much more manageable when I consciously shift my thoughts to something that makes me happy. Happy thoughts inspire gratitude, and gratitude is a healing force in and of itself.

So, no matter how busy, cranky, pain-ridden, frightened or impatient you may be feeling on any particular day, what would your day look like if you spent just five minutes of it thinking about something that makes you feel happy? How would it shift things for you? I mean, everyone has five minutes in a day, don't they? If you break it down mathematically, there are 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day. That amounts to a whopping 1440 minutes each day. If you want to look at it more realistically, the average person is awake about 12 hours per day, so this gives us 720 waking moments per day to work with. Sort of puts things into perspective, doesn't it? After all, what's five minutes when you have 715 more with which to play?

Even the busiest person could find five minutes to devote to happy:

• Hit the snooze in the morning and use it there - breakfast of champions
• Last thing you think of at night before drifting off
• Brushing your teeth
• In the shower :-)
• Waiting on line at Starbucks

You get the picture. Think of it as an emotional investment in your day. Small efforts can create huge changes, five minutes at a time.

Fair warning, though: Five minutes of happy might be a gateway to more. Just saying...

A New Approach...

It's been awhile, I know.  Please forgive me, dear reader...I've been remiss.

After a week of juicing, I lost my resolve and had to get something more substantial into my belly.  I cheated with a few crackers once in awhile, and then it seemed to snowball from there.  While I still believe that the Mean Green Juice fast can be very beneficial, I guess I wasn't quite ready to take that path.

However... 

More than a year later, I've discovered many interesting things.  A recent visit to my doctor revealed that I have 11 known food allergies, which are likely causing many, if not all of my health issues.  I felt relieved initially, having just received validation for how indescribably cruddy I've felt for so many years. 

After a short time, the reality set in.  Food elimination is highly challenging, since most of our customs are centered on celebrating with food.  Eating out became an exercise in frustration, since most restaurants cook with foods and oils that I can no longer ingest with good results.  I felt bad sending the waitperson scurrying to deliberate with the cooking staff over which foods on the menu wouldn't harm me.  Dairy, gluten, wheat, soy, corn and eggs made up the original list of known allergens.  Okay, no problem.  There were alternatives, and I set out to discover new ways of preparing foods that were healthier choices for a gal like me.  I was steadfast in my quest to heal completely, and took a lot of time and effort to make every meal from absolute scratch.  That, in itself, became a full-time job.

The problem was, after a few months of steadfast compliance, I wasn't feeling any better.  The doctor ordered more blood work, and rice, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, and...gulp...bananas were added to the list of foods that my body has become convinced are bad for me.  Darkness fell.  Gone were the strawberry/banana/yogurt smoothies that I love so much.  Rice and potatoes, foods that are often substituted for wheat and other gluten-laden grains for allergic folks, became enemies to my system.  Pasta and my famous tomato-based sauce became a big, fat no-no...and I'm Maltese in heritage! Attending summer festivals and parties became torturous, as I watched people moving along, mindlessly shoving whatever they desired into their mouths, and I could have none of it.  I felt like a destitute child pressed against the barren side of a busy cafe window.  There was no place in there for me.

Depression quickly crept in, and I cried.  A lot.  About food.  I cried about food!  I hadn't done that since I was a child and finished my days as hungry as when they started.  I became that emaciated little girl again in my mind, and it wasn't pretty.  Rich, my faithful companion and husband-to-be, couldn't bear to watch me suffer - even though I kept most of it to myself.  He suggested a couple of times that I needed a second opinion.  That irritated me.  How does one get a second opinion when blood tests clearly show what the culprits are?  He further intoned that there must be another method of treatment for food allergies.  This irritated me more, and I expressed as much.  Rather loudly.  Smart man that he is, he retreated and left me to stew.

But, much like the oyster and the sand, that irritation began to transform.  I decided that I was not content to spend the rest of my days in such a limited culinary fashion.  That condemned a life is absolutely unacceptable for me!  Rich's idea that that the allergies themselves were just symptoms and that there must be a source, spoke directly to my beliefs on healing.  Research maven that I am, I began to explore the possibilities.  What I uncovered may very well be a life-changer for me.

Stay tuned for more about that...

Mean Green Juice Detox: Day Three

Another day of greening it up, and I'm doing pretty well for the wear.

Quite honestly, I think it's growing on me. Well, not actually growing on me, but the taste seems to be agreeing more with my palate upon each passing day. I put a lot of ice in the glass, which upon melting tends to mellow the flavor out a bit.

Physically, I feel really good for the most part, and my clothes are definitely getting more comfortable. How freaky that it's so noticeable after only three days! Other than experiencing a bit of a tummy thing in the afternoon, I'm not dealing with many of the side effects of the detox. I don't think it was the juice, anyway. I'd only had a tiny glassful at that point, then had to head out on my bike to the fruit market for more supplies.

All that aside, I did notice something interesting and a little odd in the shower today. As I washed my hair, I detected the distinct scent of a spring veggie garden. Either the detox is purging something out of me or I'm taking on the smell of the greens. Or maybe...I've been in danger of becoming Swamp Thing and started juicing just in the nick of time! (C'mon, indulge me. I do have the mind of a writer, after all. And I'm not going to give it back!)

Well, this means that I have to try to resist the urge to walk up to people and ask them if I smell like vegetation. There is, after all, only so much that writers can truly get away with...isn't there?

Tune in tomorrow for Day 4. Until then...

Peace out

Mean Green Juice Detox: Day Two

Day two and all is well.

When juicing up today's batch, I peeled the lemon this time...it made the juice MUCH more palatable!

You may find this a tad unbelievable, but I already feel a bit better today. While I'm not overweight by any means, my back injury over the summer caused me to pack on a few uncomfortable pounds that I've been very anxious to shed. After only one day on the fast, my clothes are actually a bit looser! Amazing! It will be interesting to see if I can fit more easily into my smaller summer sizes after a couple weeks of this. I'm also feeling less fatigued and cold...which is good news, indeed! I'm really counting on this juice to significantly reduce, or even eliminate completely, the inflammation that has been my bane for so many years.

To remain in my integrity, I will admit that I faltered a bit in completely fasting. I had a half cup of refried beans last night, along with the few last bites that remained from a dark chocolate candy bar a friend gave me for my birthday last week. It was just sitting there beckoning. I figured the best way to make it stop was to eat it. It worked! No more candy bar to tempt me.

I'm realizing a little bit of irony today. I began my fast impulsively, without a lot of planning time. I work better that way...on the fly. However, it dawned on me that today is Fat Tuesday in these parts, and with it come these amazing, extremely bad for you Polish pastries called Packzis. While part of me feels that it might have been better to start my fast tomorrow, when devoted Catholics everywhere begin their Lenten fasts, the better part of me sees how Divinely inspired my move to begin yesterday actually was. No chance for me to stuff myself with those jelly-filled doughnuts on steroids that will land in all the places I'd prefer them to miss.

Yep. I'll just keep sucking down this green stuff and try not to think about it.

If you want the juice recipe, check out Mean Green Juice Detox: Day One in the menu to your left.

Until tomorrow, Peace out.

Mean Green Juice Detox: Day One

Joe & his Mean Green Juice
http://www.lifestyle.com.au/health/juice-saved-my-life.aspx

After spending over 24 years experiencing some pretty agonizing auto-immune related conditions that range from:

• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
• Restless Leg Syndrome
  
• digestive inflammation
  
• Rosacea

and, within the past 7 years:

• Chronic Auto-immune Urticaria & Angioedema (seriously debilitating random hives and facial swelling)
  

all of which are not responding well to allopathic (modern) medicine, I'm taking my self-care a step further.

Acting on a friend's suggestion, I settled in this morning and watched the film Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. The film is a 1 1/2 hr documentary of one man's journey from being overweight and very ill (with some of the same conditions I'm experiencing) to cured, healthy and trim. He did it all by committing to 60 days of consuming only what is affectionately called Mean Green Juice!

Witnessing the full-spectrum change in this man over the course of only 2 months makes my jaw hit the floor. Juice and only juice to cure what ails me? Can it really be this simple?

Well, I'm willing to try it out and see for myself. I've worked long and hard on bringing myself to a relatively functional level since I first began experiencing these maladies, and what I've achieved so far just isn't quite good enough. I'm ready to take the next step in releasing the fatigue, inflammation, hives, killing myself to stay trim and overall lack of physical well-being that has dogged this body for far too long.

I woke up today feeling just as crappy as I have for the past few months and I'm done with this noise. I have had enough. I am better than this and I choose better for myself. With a renewed sense of resolve, I'm heading out in 36-degree weather on my beloved bike to the fruit market. Burrr....!

Later:

I've returned laden with everything I need to prepare a couple days worth of juice, and I'm ready to give it a shot.

If you're interested in accompanying me on this journey, here's the recipe:

4 Stalks of Celery
1 Cucumber
1 Thumb-sized chunk of ginger
1/2 Lemon
2 Granny Smith apples (can use Gala if you choose)
6 Leaves of Kale

Juice it up, baby! This recipe gives you enough for two glasses of juice.

Okay, here goes...

Wowza! The first sip zings around my taste buds, giving me a bit of a pause. I add ice. The second sip is better. It's definitely an acquired taste, but unlike scotch or beer, it's one that's worth acquiring. I've always been highly attuned to what takes place in my body, and I can feel it deciding what to do with these strange, raw micro-nutrients after consuming only half a glass so far. I'm sipping it through a straw instead of gulping it down. I think my body will respond better that way.

Okay, stay tuned for day two of my Journey into the Juice.

Peace out.