Cleanse. Detox. Fast.

Why would anyone want to give up food (glorious food) for a few days?  I'm asking myself that same question as I sit here.  Hungry.   Sleepy.  With a fuzzy brain.

Well, no one really wants to go through the process of detoxification.  It's the results that make it satisfying.  Because after the fast is over (what're a few days anyway?), food tastes like heaven, your skin and eyes are clear and bright, and you just feel lighter -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically.

Cleansing your body flushes it, so that only the good stuff remains.  If I feel like hell right now, it's only because I have toxins, and they are coming to the surface, wanting out.

After all, I'm sure you -- like myself -- enjoy the occasional indulgence:  a few drinks with friends, a cupcake or two at a baby shower, the overly carb-ed meals.  I'm sure also that you -- like myself -- may have over-indulged during the holiday season, feeling perhaps sluggish or ornery or downright unbalanced.  

Well, imagine all that over-indulgence adding up to years of over-indulgence.  I mean, your system's not going to clean itself out all by itself (well, accept when you get sick -- that's your body's way of saying: "Help!  You are not taking care of me!")

I used to cleanse more frequently, say once a year.  But due to Precious Baby's birth two years ago, I haven't in a long time!  (Fasting while pregnant or nursing is a no-no.)  And honestly, let's face it, when is it ever a good time for a cleanse?  There's always something going on in our non-stop society that makes it very, very, very inconvenient.

Anyway, lucky for me, I eat a pretty darn clean diet so I'm never too out of whack.  I don't eat meat.  I have caffeine only when I want a treat or I'm desperate.  I drink a lot less alcohol than my friends do.  (ha!)  And I happen to love feeling good, so that means fruits and vegetables, hopefully organic.  Smoothies, salads, yummy vegetarian dishes, you get the idea.  I do eat seafood (salmon, yum) and dairy, but not every day.  I have a sweet tooth, so don't think I'm a total saint.  (Getting hungrier...)

I've been putting this cleanse off, but this week, I made the commitment.  It's not going to be anything too extreme.  I have done the Master Cleanse several times, and one time, for the entire ten days.  While I felt great afterwards, I do think that's a little intense...

This time, I'm mixing it up.  The basics for any cleanse are as follows:

• Lots of water, with a little lemon squeezed in
• More water
• Some sort of "flush" in the mornings 
• Try to sweat a little
• Take some salt baths
• Drink some detox tea or herbs known for their detoxifying qualities.
• Nothing too strenuous exercise-wise.  Walking and yoga are perfect.

Sometimes it's nice to ease into a cleanse.  For this cleanse, I am preparing by eating kitchari, a dish that came from India.  My dear friend, Cristina Urioste, turned me onto this meal after we met at Mount Madonna Yoga Center in Santa Cruz, California.  I could not get enough of the stuff.  Supposedly the gurus fast on this for days because of its healthful properties.  Made well, it's delicious!  Check out these recipes for kitchari.  It's basically rice and mung beans and some Indian herbs.

Kitchari with carrots and parsley (source)

I'm also drinking some juices here and there, for prep.  Crazy enough, I was in Whole Foods yesterday, and they don't have a juice bar there!!  Something about an Alabama law not allowing unpasteurized drinks to be sold... (What?  Can we please change this?)  I was planning on a fresh apple, carrot, beet, ginger, lemon concoction for a treat, but nooooo.  Anyway, sips of my daughter's smoothie sufficed (thanks, Vitamix!).

Tomorrow, I will start the flush.  I'm going to use Cristina's recommendation of mixing olive oil, Redmond Real Salt, horseradish, and lemon.  (Ask her about her Natural Energy Eating Guide that she wrote!)  I know, it sounds awful, but it's better than the salt flush that comes with the Master Cleanse!  Then I will drink the Master Cleanse lemonade all day as well as water and Yogi Detox tea, if I feel like it.  I'll do the same thing the next day.

Master Cleanse concoction in the works

Soooo if I'm moody these next two days, you'll know why.  Flushing your body also helps flush away emotional debris, so a good cry may be on the agenda.  Then by Friday, I hope to be high-flying??  We'll see how toxic my body really is!  This is usually how it happens, although for people with less-clean diets, it will take a good four days of fasting to get "the high." 

On Friday, I'll break the fast with a day of juice and perhaps a salad or some fruit.  Anything raw will work.  After that, I'll try to stick to as healthful foods as possible, maybe even go raw for a week afterwards to really set my body right.  And, of course, I'll avoid too much (if any) alcohol this weekend.  

While I do think a four-day cleanse would be better, I'm just taking this one as it comes.  If I feel like my body needs more, I'll reconsider next week's eating, maybe throw in a day of just juice.  Because that's the beauty of having all that gunk out of your system:  you KNOW what your body wants and needs.  (See the movie, SuperSize Me, for more on that.)  The flavor of food will be more intense because my taste buds will be more sensitive.  Any cravings for the bad stuff will dissipate because the bad stuff will just make me feel bad.  My thoughts will be clearer as a result of a clear system.  

Yeah, looking forward to that...

For other good reads or good folks on eating well, check out:
Spork Foods  (Heather is a good friend of mine -- sign up for her online cooking class and your life will change!  They've got a new book too!)
Andrew Weil's books  (I like Spontaneous Happiness.)
John Robbin's books  (Diet for a New America and Food Revolution are just plain must-reads if you care about your body and the planet.  And animals.)

Actually, check out Spork's links -- much more thorough and very right on.

Happy eating!  (or not eating)

Goodwill Tears (aka Why Clutter Clearing Can Be So Damn Hard)

Yesterday I finally completed the dull errand of dropping off a few bags of clothes off at the Goodwill.  They had been sitting in my trunk since before Christmas, and it just had not been a priority.  I forced myself to go that extra mile out of the way to get it over with.

If you have never donated to such a place, it works like this:  You pull into the back of the building, and there are a couple of huge bins full of what looks like junk.  A nice young man wearing headphones comes out of a warehouse-y part of the facility, takes your items, and dumps them on top of the bins, on top of all the junky items.  Then he hands you a clipboard, you fill out a little form, he rips off a copy for you, and you drive off.

Easy, right?

Well, yesterday, I cried.  Yes, I cried at the Goodwill.  Just for a few seconds as I was driving away.  But still.  There were tears.  Real ones.

You see, the majority of those items (besides a few shirts I had never worn and some outdated shoes) were my daughter's baby clothes.  Now, don't get  me wrong;  I am sentimental to an extent.  (Oh, maybe you already figured that out.)  I do have some of her more beautiful or precious items packed away in storage.  And I did give quite a few of her clothes to a good friend who is expecting a girl any day now.

But there were a LOT of things I didn't keep:
Little leggings that she wore only twice.
A plain white Kissy Kissy shirt that now had a yellow collar due to baby food.
Her first birthday outfit that was now covered in cake stains that wouldn't budge.

These precious, teeny tiny little cute, darling pieces of clothing (memories?) were now dumped in the back of a sad building on top of old TVs and half-broken chairs and other people's robes.

It was all I could do to keep myself from rummaging through her clothes (careful to avoid all else in the bin) to make sure I wasn't tossing away something that really mattered.  Something really special.  Something that I'd be a fool to let go of.

Yeah, I rummaged.  But just for a split second, telling the nice young man, "I just have to make sure I'm not throwing away something that I just can't live without..."  Then my need to keep some dignity kicked in.  I backed off, slumped into the driver's seat, and drove off.

That's when the tears came.  I couldn't believe how hard this was!

But then, something happened.  I thought of all the times, as a feng shui consultant, that I have gone into people's homes or written articles or given lectures on the importance of letting go of "items that no longer serve you," a.k.a. clutter.

And in that moment, I realized how truly hard it can be for some people.  (Hence, the idea for this blog was born.)

You see, I'm a pretty good purger.  I'm really fine with getting rid of things from ex-boyfriends and furniture that was never that great anyway.  So, it took me by surprise to get so emotional about clothes that no longer fit my child.  In those few minutes of actually going through the act of letting go, a lot of emotion came up!  Thoughts rushed through:  "What if my pregnant friend would want these?"  "These clothes are so cute -- who am I to just give them away?"  "Oh my precious little baby is about to turn two."  "Wait, what if there are some things she can still wear?" "What if I was in a rush and put the wrong things in here?"  "I'm sure a few stains won't matter to my pregnant friend."  And then, a big one:  "What if I decide to have another baby, and it's a little girl, and I'm getting rid of all these clothes, and...and...and..."

Sigh.  Shwew.  Yeah.

So, what I'm trying to say is this:  I know it's easy to say, "Clear your clutter."  I feel like a broken record by the amount of times I say it.  Clear your clutter clear your clutter clear your clutter....screechhhh.

But, you see, the reason it's so difficult to clear clutter is exactly the reason why it is so important.  Each and every item in your home holds a charge.  If you are using something frequently and you love it right now, it has a very positive, high-vibration charge.  If an item holds a positive, high-vibration charge, it keeps you in a positive, high-vibration energy too!  It is actually and literally serving you.  It is helping you go into the world and be your best self.

It's those "other" items that get us in trouble.  The necklace from that friend that turned out to be not-so-nice.  The plates from the in-laws that you never use but you are keeping them out of guilt.  The once-favorite dress that you wore so many times with the ex that treated you horribly.  And yes, the baby clothes with the spit-up stains.

I can say very assuredly that those items are most likely NOT serving you at all.  In fact, they are keeping you in some old energy patterns that are indeed holding you back from living a better, happier, freer life.  You are afraid to let them go for some reason, yes?  (The necklace is expensive.  The in-laws will ask where the plates are.  You look great in that dress although you haven't worn it in five years.  And you might have another baby one day...and what will she wear?)  The key word here is "afraid."  Unless we truly let go, trusting God, the Universe, Great Spirit, etc. to provide a nicer necklace from a nicer person and a prettier dress with "better vibes," then we will remain stuck.  

Look, change is not easy.  Especially when the thing that you are changing is you -- because this is what is really happening when you decide to clear things out.  But the truth is, the only thing that is painful about change is the RESISTANCE to change.  Things are going to change!  Let me say that again, Things are going to change.  They are always changing.  It's happening, and it's happening fast!  And the more we hold on to what was, the harder the process will be.   While it may look like letting go is difficult (crying, kicking, screaming, more crying), that's really just part of the process.  

Yesterday, I cried.  

Today, I'm just glad I got an errand over with.  

My Bahamian Friday the 13th

In 1997, I was invited to go on a three-week boat tour of the Caribbean with friends of the family.  In my world, this is something you don’t turn down!  John and his dad, Bill, were taking their 42-foot Bertram from Mobile down through the Intercoastal Waterway in Florida and over to the Bahamas.  This had been a long-term dream for Bill, and he was making it happen.

I grew up on the water – Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico – to be specific.  I had visited the Bahamas once or twice, so I knew the lure of the aqua waters, the pastel houses, the easy smiles, and “island time.”  And I loved it.  An island girl I was, and an island girl I will always be.

      We had many adventures in those three weeks, but one day in particular comes to mind.... a certain Friday the 13th.

      We had docked in Walker Cay, still one of my favorite islands to this day.

marina at Walker Cay

Bill and John and some other folks that had joined us for part of the trip wanted to go scuba diving.  The dive shop told us about a reef some ways out, so we made for it that morning, excited to see what the day would hold.  I wasn’t certified in diving at the time, but I do love to snorkel, so I too was looking forward to it.  And yes, it was Friday the 13th...

Bill, with his masterful captain skills, found the exact spot – the island was out of sight – and he put John and I (mostly John) to work on putting out the anchor.  We were both on the bow, when I spotted a huge shadowy creature swimming fast right by the boat.

“Shark!!!” I yelled.  John sprinted to the port side of the boat where I was. 

“Where?  Where?”  he asked, ecstatic.  He, unlike most humans, loved sharks.

“It just went under the boat.” 

We both went starboard. 

Then we saw another shadow, and another.    Big ones.  All around us!

A thrill rose up my body.  These were not sharks.

“They’re dolphins!” I said.  This time it was my turn to be ecstatic. 

It had always been a distant dream of mine to swim with dolphins.  Ever since I was a little girl, I fantasized about being the girl in all those almost-cartoonish images of a person holding on to a dolphin’s fin and being carried swiftly through the waters.  But it was one of those far-off notions.  At the time, I didn’t know anyone who had swum with dolphins.  If Sea World or Disney had such an experience, I wasn’t aware of it.  We had porpoises in the Gulf, but they were just pretty things to spot, mostly through binoculars, not creatures that may take us on a joy ride. 

But here on the bow of this boat in the middle of the waters, a new reality came to light.  Everyone on the boat livened up at the realization that we were surrounded by twenty-five or so dolphins, swimming freely in the blue-green waters.  While everyone peered over the sides, I ran for my snorkel gear.  (John was close behind me, I have to add.)  Within minutes, I was in the water, observing these gorgeous creatures through the lens of my mask.

that's me swimming with the dolphins!

beauties -- all photos taken by John Haffner

So close....

At first they were intimidating.  They were big!  Even from a few feet, I could determine their massive strength and the fact that, well, if they decided to turn on me, I wouldn’t have a chance.  But after a few minutes of swimming near them, my nerves settled.  They squeaked that familiar sound that I had heard recordings of so many times.  Some of them would swim near the surface, while others would dive up and down.  It was if they were putting on a show.  Some swam in unison, and there was even a baby close to his mom in the mix. 

By this time, everyone on the boat had jumped in, all geared up.  Oh, and did I mention the reef?  This was all happening amidst a backdrop of the vivid colors of a natural reef just below. 

After about a half-hour of swimming with the dolphins, John and I got a little bolder.  (Okay, maybe John got bold before half hour.)  They were swimming so close to us, that we could just almost touch them.  We'd try to reach them, but like puppies playing a game, they’d move out of our grasp – an inch or so – just before we could touch them.  They were sensitive to even the slightest movement, and the grace in which they slipped out of reach still impresses me. 

The mom and baby got close to me.  Just as before, I reached out to the mom, and for a split second, felt the smooth surface of her skin!  She let me touch her!  Strange, because it was definitely by choice  -- HER choice…

After about an hour, the dolphins started to scatter.   Only a few remained and then they left too.  It was about time for us to pull up anchor and head back to land anyway.  But what an experience! 

That day, I discovered that dreams do come true.  Cheesy as it sounds, it’s true!  My view of reality changed that day.  If something as amazing and elusive as swimming with wild dolphins could happen to me, what else could?! 

Interestingly enough,  this all happened on Friday the 13^th.  

The dolphins and me.  Note the date!

I had never been entirely superstitious of that date, but after that episode, I definitely am!  From that day on, how could Friday the 13^th be anything but lucky!  Not UN-lucky.  And since then, I’ve had peaceful and happy Friday the 13ths ever since.

Life truly is how you look at it…

Here are some more photos from the trip.  All taken or choreographed by the talented John Haffner (find more photos from this trip or more under the name "gorgeouscoyote" on Flickr.com)  A big thank you to the Haffners for such an amazing trip!

John, Bill, and I on board the Gung Ho

The crew that swam with the dolphins

John and I with some new friends in front of the Gung Ho

John finds a starfish

Wishing you a dream-come-true day -- today and every day!