Day 43

It's been a very productive few days. I've got the computer hd fixed and other appts have fallen into place. Housesitting has gone well, although it's a lot of driving back and forth, feeding our cats and also the animals at their house. But they have high-speed internet! LOL

Juicing has been going well. I'm averaging 5L a day, of which 1L is celery-based and 3L are greens-based and the last is usually something sweet - like the yam, carrot, apple, ginger, cinnamon that I love so much. Most have E3Live added (I'm using a bottle a week) and usually the first one of the day has 2 tbsp of hemp or flax oil added. That's become the usual routine, although I try to change it up as often as I am inspired to. And I'm getting at least a litre of water in as well each day; not often getting 2 or more litres, but 1 is better than none.

Definitely dry-brushing, hot/cold showering, exercising (and sweating), using positive affirmations and spending time just sitting in solitude, and also trying to take in something inspiring daily. With a busy home life with children about, it can be quite a lot to incorporate each day, but I really feel like I am being more loving towards myself, and a happy mom makes a happy family, most definitely.

OH! Nearly forgot to share! The other day I received a very surprising phone call: the marriage commissioner job I had applied on in very early October! I've been shortlisted and invited to a (group) interview next week! After I'd initially applied, I was talking to a girlfriend (who I've known since we were 3 yrs old), and she said the job would be PERFECT for me. I was flattered, but when I never heard anything weeks later, I assumed I had not been shortlisted, so you can imagine my surprise receiving the phone call last week. Very exciting.

So here it is, Saturday night, I'm just hangin' out with the kids (one is singing silly nonsense songs, the other is sharpening what he thinks is now the world's smallest pencil - LOL)... looking forward to ending the feast on Tuesday with half a dozen soaked prunes... it's been a really great experience overall, this juice feast - my skin is so clear and soft and my eyes are really vibrant and clear - SUPER clear, my hair is silky and in great shape, and yes, I'm down a fair amount of weight - ~25 lbs over the 45 days. An inter-library loan came in yesterday - David Wolfe & Shazzie's Naked Chocolate - which has only increased my desire to return to solid food. LOL Actually, it'll be a couple weeks before I endeavour to add cacao in, but it will be a lovely holiday treat. ;) I am hoping, in 2009, to do at least one 30-day juice feast, if not more than one, or a longer one. We'll see, but at least 30 days out of the next year I am really interested in juicing for.

Namaste
~n~

Day 40

WOW I can't believe it's Day 40. So incredible that I only have 5 or 6 days to go. (uh oh, story hour's starting and I need to help with the crafts; time is VERY limited!!!)... 25 days until dh comes home, and only 5 sleeps until dec 1st, which is when we do Letters to Santa, start opening advent calendars, and also start counting down for Solstice Celebration (we make cutout snowflakes each day and put them on the windows... they look beautiful by the 21st!!)

i guess that's it for now. off to swimming after this and then house-sitting for 4 nights.
talk later
~n~

Day 39

Our harddrive at home is so very unstable at the moment... completely unreliable. I am on the computer at the library... but am only granted an hour, so I have to type VERY quickly as I've used it almost completely up on the homeschooling weekly report.

Juicing is going great. Day 39 today and I have about another week, I guess. Everything's just fine. Rowing every day, dry skin-brushing, hot/cold showering as often as I can stand to (which isn't daily, I'll admit that!), doing tai chi or reiki or sitting meditation daily as well, taking the compost out regularly - it's amazing how often the bucket(s!) fill up on this feast (wonderful for my hungry worms/bacteria out there, though!)... I'm finding that I need several hours in the morning to do all of that before I'm ready to go out though and that can be challenging if I want to get out of the house earlier in the day (like this morning I was up at 6:30 and we left the house around 10:30.... that's 4 HOURS that I was busy pampering myself. LOL oh well, the lengths I'll go to to stay sane, eh.

I suppose that's all I have to report at the moment, and seeing as I'm overtime on this library computer, I guess I"ll have to say g'night and I"ll try to post again tomorrow during story hour for the wee one.
Namaste,
~n~

Day 34

I managed to get up early and row and make enough juice for the day before heading off to volunteer this morning. I was humming and hawing last night about whether I ought to continue with this volunteer position in the new year, especially since I would then have 5 different organizations I volunteer for (not including donating blood), and that seemed like a lot. But this morning, my co-leader was so awesome, listening to my concerns and she has offered to step up her end of organizing the meetings and taking on some of the administrative duties which were getting me down, so I feel like now I can continue... for the time being. ;) I was so glad she was understanding of where I was at.

The juice feast is going great - it's so hard to believe it's been over a month. Days are just flying by and I could easily go 90 days, I think. One day or 90, it doesn't really matter much at this point. Having said that, I will be ending it at 45/46 days - Dec 1st, breaking the feast on the 2nd and then taking at least a week to ease myself back onto solid food and slowly decrease the juice intake. I want to be back to eating meals by Christmas time. ;) But I can definitely see myself doing a feast of 30 days or even longer at some point in 2009, if it all worked out.

Took our van in to get its windshield repaired and then had to bus (and cab) it back to where our car was parked, with a carseat and two kids in tow. Hmmmm. It wasn't a big deal, but it took over an hour in the rain (& $12.55) to go what would have been a 5 minute drive in the car, so I am feeling very grateful for the car and the ease of transportation it provides. VERY grateful. Did I mention the new car has heated seats (and mirrors) and I am just so thankful for both of those features? The heated seats alone... how did I ever live without that?! LOL

Hoping you have a wonderful day. I'm now going to try and upload kiddie pics onto dropshots.
~namaste~

Day 33 and feeling pulled in so many directions!

You'll understand how my mind is going in a zillion different directions after reading this post. LOL

Today I rowed my 5 kms in the morning (you know this is 10 days straight of rowing, and it feels fantastic; I'm aiming for 100 kms this month, which will be 20 days - keeping in mind I didn't start until the 9th, so I'll need to only take 2 days off before the end of the month to reach my goal; no problem). So after rowing, I dry-brushed, showered and made juices, had a really nice imaginary tea party with my daughter, made lunches, and got ourselves organized to go to swimming class. While the children have their lessons, I swim laps - usually a km in 1/2 hr (confession: I use flippers). ;) Today I swam 1100m, swimming the last 100m without flippers. We spent nearly 3 hours in the pool and came out like prunes, LOL.

I have been receiving SOOOOOOO many compliments lately... the guy at the gas station (who we've known for over 10 yrs): "Are you losing weight? I can see it in your face" - after which followed a hilarious conversation about how dh will REALLY appreciate my svelt figure when he returns next month. LMAO And other hl'ing mamas and people around town commenting on how trim I'm getting, how they're noticing it in my face as well, and how impressed they are with my resolve and commitment to this juice feast. I admit, I'm surprising even myself here, but the reality is that I know if I can go through just THIS moment without solid food, that I can go the entire day, and thus the entire feast without food. No problem... just need to stay present in THIS moment. And yes, sometimes that's extremely challenging. Like when I'm cooking for the kids and just want to taste how it's coming along - aromas of cooked food are addictive and enticing, but I am really committed, after 7 months - to raw vegan food. :)

Struggling with staying mindful today, given recent parenting challenges. And oh, let me tell you, it's been challenging. Phew. I keep telling myself this is a phase; it shall pass. Just stay in the moment and learn the lesson. But holy crow, sometimes that is so VERY hard to do. Was so very grateful to have a long phone call with dh tonight, rehashing the day and getting support and feedback. I am so unbelievably grateful to have him in my life.

Also struggling with how flaky I sometimes am. I feel pulled in so many different directions and find myself asking seemingly the stupidest questions, like do I do the laundry or the dishes, or do I row or make juice, or take the compost out, or wash the floor, or.... on and on. And I know, there MUST be more important things in life than whether the floor gets washed or not, but truly, there comes a time when I've procrastinated on it so very long that it seems like months since it was last washed (ewww), and I then judge myself as flaky. LOL At least I can laugh at myself. But seriously, I am an Aquarian through and through. Volunteering in 4, soon to be 5, different positions takes a lot of effort and energy and I question what I am doing, spreading myself so thin, but I'm so passionate about volunteering, not only for the benefit of the community, but also because I am empowered to be a role model for my children, and I want them to see the amazing benefits of volunteering - being a good role model is SUCH an important thing to me (I was discussing it with another hl'ing mama at swimming - how important it is, imo, to get in there and swim while the kids are swimming, rather than sitting outside the glass, chatting with the other mamas, not paying attention to what's going on in the lessons, but I am trying desperately not to judge those who choose that route, after all, I don't know a smidgeon of what goes on in their lives, so who am I to compare, but it seems to me, for my family, that I really want to be a mama who's involved, who sets an example of healthy living, of self-care, and of the value of being a role model, but I'm digressing here). Despite my desire to volunteer all over the place, my family really must come first. Sighhhh. And then sometimes I get engrossed in things... LOL like I'll get the kids to sleep and come down just to check my emails, and then HOURS later, I force myself to go to bed... or I'll work on my cross-stitch, or read a book, and then hours pass and it's the middle of the night, and while I'm certainly enjoying my time alone, I simply force myself to be reasonable and get a decent amount of sleep. It's really quite a comical pattern, but I do see how it causes myself unnecessary grief. (People who have a sense of direction in life, who know how to prioritize well, are laughing themselves silly at my self-description, but it's honestly true.) Anyways just this moment I realized I'm trying to place an online classified ad on the other tab and it's taking AGES because I'm droning on and on here about how I can't seem to prioritize my time well. LMAO It's really really funny. Thank GOD nobody's life depends on me being more on the ball. My kids are relatively clean, they sleep when they're tired and eat when they're hungry, and are developing well, and I give them my full attention at different times during the day, so I *think* all is good (isn't it?!).

I'm going to go and feel flaky, and maybe even get bedtime going. Oh, but wait - I have to volunteer at 10 tomorrow morning and I haven't got anything organized for that. YEESH. Good GRIEF. Maybe I'll just go and sit in meditation instead; let my mind calm down. ;) G'night.

Day 32

Feeling good today. BEAUTIFUL sunshine outside; the fog has finally lifted after 3 full days. There's a bunch of chickadees at the feeder outside and the stellar jays were there earlier. The kids are playing quietly, I've rowed my 5 kms today and we're just getting ready to go out on an errand (one that I've been procrastinating on for MONTHS... literally). I'm feeling peaceful and calm, and life is blissful in this moment.

Namaste,
~n~

Day 31

Having hard-drive problems with the computer lately (never mind the dial-up connection problems on top of that). It's a bit of a challenge, but I think everything's backed up on the external HD so if/when it does crash completely, I don't think we'll lose much. Technology, eh.

Weekend went very well juicing. Been rowing daily. Did Tai Chi outside in the misty fog this morning, surrounded by GREEN (you can't see another house from outside ours - very rural). Just beautiful. Hummingbirds flitting about, winter wrens, black-capped chickadees, the sound of the surf rolling in at the beach, the foghorns sounding on the ships coming up the Straight.

Watched a movie on crop circles on Saturday night, which I found very interesting. And another movie last night on the mystical yogis of Tibet - fascinating. My son's enjoying watching them with me, too, which is nice (to share something I'm interested in with him).

Made bread yesterday, which I always enjoy doing; there's something about making something like that from scratch, the kneading, the waiting while it rises, the delicious aroma, and that my family really enjoys the finished product! :) I also completed a large section on the cross-stitch, which felt amazing to accomplish. I mean, 11 yrs working on it, and to finally see the end in sight! Wahoo!

Working on developing an attitude of gratitude: learning to stay present and enjoy things like washing dishes (dishwasher's been broken for MONTHS) and even things that would normally annoy me - a child interrupting me in the middle of tai chi or meditation, a disagreement between siblings... these things I am now learning to use as reminder bells to stay mindful and present in my own body... to not react, but to respond with lovingkindness and compassion. And yes, it's VERY challenging to do sometimes. ;)

Anyways, that's where I'm at today. I'm going to go make some juice now. Hunger pangs. hard to ignore.

Day 28

Wow, it is so hard to believe nearly a month has gone by on this juice feast. Incredible. I'm down 2% body fat & 6 inches in the past 2 weeks, never mind the first two weeks. Yesterday I consumed close to 7L of juices and 1L of water. Craziness. That was a LOT of liquids, but delicious! :)

I've been meaning to post before/after pictures - here's a picture from February 2006, and then another from just a couple weeks ago. Yay for learning to honour one's self with diet, exercise, and mindfulness!!

Day 27

Things juice-wise are going very well. Day 27 today and I've had 5 very different, delicious combinations. I'm rowing every day the past 5 days (5 kms a day) and that feels great to move my body and sweat each day. Feels just great. Going to Tai Chi class tonight (missed last week) so that will be fantastic, too.

Struggling a little lately with... hmmm I've spent a few days trying to articulate this... Well, it's like I'm feeling challenged between the 'big picture' of life and the 'details' of every day living. Like, otoh, I'm asking myself, 'Who do I want to be? What do I value? What kind of person am I, and what kind of person do I want to become?', and otoh, trying to spend time contemplating those questions is being thwarted by the demands of everyday life: housework, juicing, making meals, parenting, homeschooling, etc. It's like the question is, 'How do I choose to spend my time on a daily basis?' And I guess I'm feeling challenged trying to reconcile these two lines of thought, between staying present and mindful in the moment, and giving myself time to sort out what I value in life and how I can live a life in accordance with my values. Writing the family's annual Christmas letter that goes out in the Christmas cards helped a little to see the accomplishments of the past year, and also helped me see that I have chosen to do things in alignment with my passions and interests (and therefore values): completing the 9 day cob workshop in June, the Master Composter certificate, Reiki Level 1, Tai Chi Instructor Training... all good things to have done, all in alignment with where I want to be headed in life.

A few days ago I was feeling challenged with honouring my self when I feel I am lacking resolve. How do you get yourself to exercise, or continue with the juicing, or whatever it may be that you do to honour yourself, when you're feeling less than motivated? I actually began questioning why I was even bothering with the juice feast at all, struggling to stay conscious of the benefits I've attained so far. So I made a quick list of those benefits: clearer skin, radiant eyes, weight loss, shiny hair, less gray in my hair (no kidding - I think it's from the E3Live), the huge benefits of releasing toxins that have been stored for many years (27 days = 9 years of released toxins!), and the benefits of wanting to declutter and finish unfinished projects, which in itself is HUGE. So overall, I got over these feelings (I think it was simply hormonal detoxing going on) and feel much better about things now. But it's been a week. I attribute part of it to the full-moon. :)

Well, that's all I have time for at the moment. I'll hopefully get the dial-up connection at home restored and will be able to get up-to-date in internet world soon. Have a good one.
~n~

HUMP DAY!!!

Today marks the half-way point on my juice feast! Day 23. Another 22 days to go (I'm planning on 45 days). I cannot tell you how RELIEVED I am to be half-way. The past few days have been very challenging for me mentally. I am struggling to stay liquitarian and away from solid food, and I'm moody. A serious grumpy pants. And nobody enjoys being around someone like that. Thank goodness my children are super-unconditionally-loving and understanding.

Today, to honour myself, which has been a struggle lately, as I've been feeling some pretty serious anger towards myself (what's THAT all about I have to wonder), Today I rowed 5 kms, I did a set of tai chi, nice and slow and really really concentrated on it, I gave myself Reiki this morning for a solid half-hour, I took time to be really present while preparing my juices, asking for blessings upon the ingredients as I washed and rinsed them, and then while consuming the juices. It was a nice break from the self-berating, ranting and tirading I'd been inflicting upon myself and my surroundings. Aye-aye-aye. Or "OY" as my sister would say.

Had tea with my daughter's godmother (and namesake) this afternoon. She's in her late 80s and is perfectly delightful and I really enjoyed her visit. I nearly completely forgot about spraying the entire kitchen earlier with juice (I forgot to put the lid on the VitaMix, hit the power button, and wowee, a full half a litre of juice sprayed EVERYWHERE - all over my clothes, my face, the counter, the window, the curtain, the ceiling... Quite comical after the fact, to be sure, but in the moment, as I was trying to get out the door to go for tea, well, not so comical just then).

I have more to write about my mental struggles as of late, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow (sorry to keep you hangin') :) DS is waiting to peruse sears.com as apparently they have more toys on there than are in the Wish Book. LOL (Don't get me started on how we really don't need more toys in this house)

Just before I sign off, let me just take a moment to say that I am truly grateful for the challenges I've experienced today, for their lessons in patience, self-discipline, and self-awareness that they've brought.
Namaste,
~n~

Day 20

I was re-reading Angela Stokes' A Juice Feaster's Handbook (an essential resource!), and in it, she writes to expect some "big changes" around Day 20. Well, last night, I cleaned my laundry room. Might not seem like much to you, but let me tell you... it was BIG. It is also our recycling area so I sorted through all the recycling (soft pastics, cardboard) and got it all ready to leave the house on recycling day. Then, when I was through with that (and that took QUITE some time), I still had an abundance of energy, so I started cleaning... the oven. I mean... WHOA. My children wanted to know who stole their mom. Even I admitted to them it felt very strange to (a) have so much energy and (b) be interested in decluttering and cleaning my house. Very strange indeed. I tackled a few different rooms and then woke up early this morning (like, before 5 a.m.) and was up and about by 6. I made vegan organic peanut butter muffins (sounds odd but they're good) for the kids for breakfast, had the woodstove going and spent some time working on my counted needlepoint. I mean REALLY people - what more evidence do you NEED that life changes are happening around here?!?!? LMAO Let me put it in perspective. I began this particular counted cross-stitch in Dec 1997. Over a DECADE ago. Mind you, it's a very large and complicated piece, and in the intervening years there has been grad school, children arriving, life... so it's not like I work on it regularly. In fact, I can't even recall the last time I pulled it out. But all of a sudden, as I'm detoxing my body here, I have this insatiable need to start decluttering my house, to finish unfinished projects. It's probably not surprising to most people, but it is very very strange to have such a strong desire to clean/declutter arise in me. LOL I spent time doing Reiki this morning and it is very centering and grounding an really gives a good intention for the day.

THEN... we're over at Grampa's and a little wren flies into the window and is, seemingly, departed on the ground below. He goes out to see and it is not; he holds it in his hands to warm it up, help it shake off the shock, and I gave it Reiki, and within minutes, it flied off on its own. Heart-warming, especially on Grampa's birthday. :)

So yes, extended family are here - 10 of us in all for dinner - only I'll be having a litre of juice. Celery, fennel, lime, rainbow chard, cucumber, arugula, ginger, pear, apple, and carrot, with E3Live, to be precise. It's an odd combination, I know. I juiced the first three together, then the next three, then the last four, then mixed them all together (possibly not the greatest idea; I'm only beginning to grasp the concept of "simple combinations" LOL but I have not yet warmed up to the possibility of green juices without SOME kind of fruit in them). Still, the juice feast, here on day 20, is going fantastically well, and although I do *think* of food occasionally, that's all it is. A fleeting thought. I am looking forward to making some raw pasta with a nice tomatoey sauce or pesto after this is all over (maybe over the holidays), or a nut burger with portobello 'bun' and jicama fries and some raw ketchup... mmmmm..... but for now, that will all have to wait. 'Cuz I'm full of energy, I'm in a frightfully hilarious mood, and I'm a juicing FIEND, my friend.

Peace.
Out.

Day 18

I spoke with computer guy last night (he DID move!). I left the computer in the cold car overnight and this morning plugged it in (as he & I were going to walk through the BIOS set-up and see if it was still recognizing the harddrive). When I brought it in and set it up, it started just fine. As if nothing had happened. Bizarre. But I am so very VERY grateful. And I will be running out to purchase an external HD today to back up all my data onto. And a UPS at the same time, for that matter.

I was just telling my sister that last night I awoke in the middle of the night with my root chakra just alight with energy. For well over 10 minutes, honestly, it was just alive. Very neat sensation. I have been self-treating with Reiki morning and night since the attunement on the weekend. Will continue to do so as it certainly helps me remain more mindful and focus my intentions. I am enjoying, and grateful for the blessings in my life. And for blessings disguised as challenges. :)

Day 18 going fabulously well so far. Had a litre of lettuce, pear, and ginger with some flax oil and E3Live to start the day. Still not loving the flavour of the hemp oil (thankfully finished off the bottle, and no, it wasn't rancid at all), but have moved onto a new bottle of flax oil. Much more subtle flavour. So I make the juice in the VitaMix blender, strain it through a nut mylk bag (or actually a paint strainer bag from the local hardware store), and then put it back in the blender to really blend in or homogenize the oil. After that, I stir in the E3Live. I am actually REALLY enjoying the E3Live in my juices, which a few weeks ago, I really did not. At the moment, I'm probably having several tablespoons of the algae every day. I'm hoping it will turn my increasingly gray hair back to light brown, or even blonde?! LOL

OH! MOST exciting thing to share - the excema that I developed on the back of my left hand is going away on its own!!!! This is SOOO exciting! So apparently whatever toxins my body was releasing have now gone on their way (with very little or no treatment necessary - just a little lavender essential oil on it occasionally) and I'm feeling fantastic about that. I just love the idea that my body is releasing things that it has been holding onto for many years. Here we are, Day 18, and that is (quick math here: you cleanse 120 days for every day of juicefeasting, so that is.... um.... oh geez.... someone help me out here.... okay, so that's now 6 years I've gone back. WOW. 6 years ago, what was going on in my life? What kind of negative emotions and thoughts and toxins was I storing up - and I'm now releasing?).

When I think of how much *I* have changed in the past... decade... it really astounds me. I am in SUCH a better place now. I feel good about myself. I like me. I like who I have become and I am happy and content and more self-aware. I like to think I handle stress a lot better now (although maybe the recent computer troubles shows differently - LMAO) and am generally more pleasant to be around. ;) I really have to give thanks to my family, my children especially, because they have taught me SO much about staying present and about unconditional love... towards yourself and and for others. They are such a blessing in my life.

Well, I ought to sign off and get on with things. I'll check in again soon.
Adios.

Day 17

The past week has FLOOOOOWWWWWNNNN by. What with Hallowe'en and the kidlets, we were busy getting costumes ready and anticipation and excitement were building (as you can well imagine!). Hallowe'en night we had 13 trick-or-treaters, and for those who know where we live, that is certainly a record! Our kids went to about 8 houses locally, then to some friends' on the way to Grammy & Grampa's - our final destination for the evening. They had a rousing good time and both ended up with upwards of 5 dozen pieces of candy from just 10 houses. One house handed out candy from China, which was confiscated, what with the recent melamine media reports/etc.

On the weekend I took Reiki Level One, which was... Fantastic. Absolutely incredible. I felt highly energized Saturday night, but also once in bed, slept like I've never slept before, awakening refreshed and ready for Sunday. My Angel Card at the end of the course said Purification, which I laughed about. I mean, here I am, in the middle of a CLEANSE and I blindly pick a card that says Purification. Too funny. Just before I picked the card, I asked, "What will I use Reiki for now that I have completed this course? How can I use it to benefit my life and the lives of those around me? Where do I go with it from here?" And that was the answer: Purification. Love it. There is so much about the universe we truly cannot ever understand, eh.

Sunday night I was on our computer and in the midst of typing three different emails simultaneously when the whole thing just went black and rebooted itself... or attempted to. Apparently ds (who I asked not to) had left his Sim Theme Park CD-Rom in the drive and without FAIL it ALWAYS causes serious computer crashes. I tried several times to reboot with no success, even leaving the power supply unplugged overnight - to no avail. Trying to get ahold of computer techy this morning was interesting as his email is on the computer, and his phone number came up "not in service". AARGHHHH. So I call 411 and they give me the same number I just called that said NIS. (Is Telus completely stunned?!?!) I had a brainwave and went on the old computer and managed to get online and find the company website and yes, his # has changed (probably to a Shaw # which is why Telus 411 doesn't know anything about it. I mean, REALLY - how helpful is 411 if it only gives you Telus #s and not also Shaw?!?!). I also grabbed his cell # and email. So here I sit, at the computer at the library, attempting to send him a distressed email. After all, I can't imagine "Boot Disk Failure; Insert System Disk and Press Enter" is a good message to get when booting up. To make matters worse, ds feels terrible that he forgot to remove the disk, and I feel crappy b/c I haven't yet backed up our vacation pictures... since the last time the computer crashed. (not good not good NOT GOOD) I even tried to Reiki on the computer, but that too, did not revive it.

But Just for Today, I Will Not Worry. Just for Today, I will not Anger.

Juicing is going very well. Day 17 today. The past week has been good; nothing major to report. Into the groove, getting juices made ahead of time if I'm going to be out on the road running errands/etc. and that seems to work just fine. I think it helped immensely that I had been cleansing for 2 wks previous to the Reiki attunement, and that I will continue to cleanse for the next 4 wks afterwards. Certainly I am abstaining from meat, dairy, all cooked food, nuts/seeds/etc. and am just having raw, organic vegetables and fruits juiced.

Received some concern last week from well-meaning people in my life (who I know love me very much and are simply concerned) that this juice feast is dangerous. I am working hard to accept that their opinion is different from mine; I feel more educated on juicefeasting than they are and have not embarked on this cleanse without forethought. Besides, as I said to someone else in my life, if at any time I felt like it was no longer benefitting me, I'd stop. Simple as that. I mean, I'd hope that those close to me would know me well enough to trust me on this one. Do I generally behave irresponsibly? No, I do not. I believe I am achieving optimum health through juice feasting. But apart from their concerns, everything else is going well with the juicing.

I'll try to post a little more regularly this week; hopefully I can get the 'puter fixed asap.

Today I am grateful for the lessons in patience I'm learning.
Namaste,
~n~