Post #101!

I just realized my post on Monday was the 100th post on the blog! And judging by the counter, somebody must be reading it. LOL

Yesterday was SUCH a productive day around here. I made 8 loaves of bread (4 spelt and 4 raisin) for the family, and then 4 dozen buns (both spelt and white) for Sunday's community christmas party. And we have THREE days at home this week, not two, which is fantastic. I'll have lots of time to make 6 dz gingerbread people, a big pot of soup, and get the crafts all organized for Sunday. :) I laughed because my sister quite regularly organizes HUGE socials and fundraisers, and here I am, sweating it out over a community christmas party that will maybe have 40 people in attendance.

I am really proud of myself breaking the feast. It's been more than a week now, and I've eased back onto solid food really gradually and well, and the exciting part is from my lowest weight on the feast, I've only put on 2 lbs, which I'm thrilled about. The recommended supplements seem to be helping tremendously to tone my colon and I've maintained a wonderful healthy glow on my skin. Considering that prior to this juice feast I had only done one 1-day feast, and then I jumped in and did a 45 day feast, I have such confidence now. And being back into exercising daily has definitely helped me gain even more self-confidence.

It feels like whenever I fall off the horse (for example, despite exercising near-daily for 18 months, I then proceeded to take the majority of the last YEAR off), at any given moment I can make a different choice - I can choose to jump back into it, whether that is exercising daily, eating healthier, being more compassionate with myself, communicating more peacefully with those around me... at any given moment you are FREE to make a different choice. It's not about judgment; it's not about seeing it as making a better choice. It's just a different choice. And you really are FREE to make it. In this moment... and now in this moment. Your past does not dictate this moment... you have the ability to just let the past go and do something new or different now, if that's your choice. It feels very liberating.

I know that when I initially went vegan, people around me of course didn't think I'd ever change my ways so dramatically... I think they saw me (understandably) as a product of my past behaviour, of past attempts and choices... Granted, my reasoning for going vegan was pretty strong for me... a friend of ours had died and I wanted to honour his death - he died trying to make the world a better place, so I took that on, and knew that the best way to make the world a better place was to start with myself, and I just instinctively knew that meant honouring myself and respecting myself more than I had been, so I, all of a sudden, dropped meat and dairy one day, and started exercising in earnest that very day, the same day he died. Within months I had dropped a considerable amount of weight and was so very committed to being a role model of a healthy lifestyle to those around me... not preachy, just quietly living the example. No words are necessary. Now that it's been a few years and I continue to exemplify a healthier lifestyle than that which I had been living, I think I've gained a lot of respect from those who know me as one who is determined and follows through on her intentions, and that's something I guess I hadn't anticipated. Certainly this juice feast has confirmed for me that I have the ability to see things through; not that I won't make errors along the way, but that I can certainly pick myself up, dust myself off, and get right back on track. And that feels really good.

You are a radiant, divine being! Let your true self shine through!
In light and love,
~n~