2010: What day are you on and how are you doing?

[NewDirection]

Tanya & Dollfacegreen I appreciate your support!

I hate feeling like this on a cleanse. Cleanses are when I feel like wonder woman ready to take over the world and blow past anyone that stands in my way. I wish the timing of this drama was a little different - but at the same time - so much easier to deal with stress while cleansing than while not - so blessings in disguise a guess.

Glad a have a little support via the boards though. Thank you again.



-ND

[Quintin]

New Direction, I know how you are feeling and have recently been in a position where I looked up and wondered what had become of me. I felt lost, and empty, with a sense of impending doom, like my walls were crumbling around me.

From a fresh, somewhat new standpoint I can tell by the respect you give others and the respect given to you that you are a positive influence on many people's lives. I hope I am not sticking my nose where it doesn't belong but I do feel for you, and you will most certainly be in my thoughts.

"If" by Rudyard Kipling became a source of strength and inspiration to me and maybe it will speak to you. The end of the second verse and beginning of the third particularly resonate with me and when times are trying they ring in my head.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!


–Rudyard Kipling

[NewDirection]

Thank you thank you thank you Quintin.

I LOVE "If" and this is definately a great time to be reminded of that. I haven't even thought of this in a very long time. THANK YOU for reminding me.

I appreciate your support too. It's amazing the strength you can find in the kind words of people you don't even know...

[mngirl]

Hi, I'm doing the cleanse for the first time ever starting tomorrow, but I have a bit of a problem...after I bought the lemons and maple syrup yesterday I accidentally left them in the car overnight so I'm pretty sure they froze. Can I still use them? I'd really hate to have to buy everything again so is there any way the cleanse will still work using frozen lemons and maple syrup? Thanks.

[jane65]

mngirl, try to squeeze them and see if they can be used. I would tend to think they would be fine.

[patricepag]

Hi, I'm on day 8 today, a lot better than yesterday, I had a killer headache and was super grouchy.I drank 100oz of water too.
the sun finally came out in 2 days today. went for an hour fast walk with my dog, the Bay was calm and saw a rainbow too.
Any clues on why I'm having such a hard time sleeping?
I did take a hot Epsom salt bath last night. (which i haven't done in a few days) that helped to keep me warm for a while and got some sleep. I'm also so cold all the time! I read on here that that happens.
I'm from NYC! I've wimped out since in California!
Didn't check the scale today, as i didn't want to start the day off bad.
Going for 12 days, that'll give me 2 days before i get on a plane, then a layover in Honolulu then get to the Big Island.
Hope to lose some weight before that!!
I look forward to fresh fruit there and salads and swimming and running and hanging at the beach....being healthy!
Can't find the posts I put up yesterday, but i know they are there, as i got a private reply. 'Where are they?
Thanks, Patrice

[Lahontani]

Well, made it to Reno and back. Great day for my period to finally kick into gear. Stopped by Whole Foods to get more agave and some amaretto agave for after the cleanse. School was very tempting, walking through the admin. building filled with the smell of pizza hut in the cafeteria below (reminding myself the whole time, "I don't even LIKE the pizza they serve here!") Then, I had gotten in the habit of stopping off at In and Out on the way home...I ran out of lemonade about 4 and was very hungry until I got home at 6. Off to soak in the tub in a sec. But first...

My rotten day full of rotten feelings yesterday transferred into a rotten night - filled with a person who happens to possess an opinion I respect telling me exactly how badly I have sucked at pretty much all of existance the last few years, and how much better I was 4 or 5 years ago...

Others have already commented on this, and very good comments they were, too. Just to play devil's advocate, I'm going to throw a different perspective on it. Was the person who dumped all this on you the same person who has already caused you so much pain this month...expanding on the reasons for all this change? If so, I would hold those criticisms suspect, just for their having kept them hidden for so long. If this was someone else...keep in mind that just because you respect that person does not mean he/she is right. For example, there is a self-help "guru" in Calif. who has written several wonderful and inspirational books. As part of his "spiritual process" he just got up one day, and left his wife and child to fend for themselves as he traveled internationally to "find" himself. In my opinion, all his spiritual advice is compromised by the evidence of his actual life. ("By their fruits you shall know them.") Another example: as a mom, you know all too well that the people with the loudest, harshest advice on how to raise your children are the people who have never HAD children. From my own life: I had a good friend (not a boyfriend) for years who was convinced that he was fair and honest and spiritually motivated towards all people. I thought he was, too...until all his ex-girlfriends started coming to ME trying to get closure. He would dump them without an explanation and convince himself that they were all still "very good friends." He had so convinced himself that he was on a higher spiritual and intellectual plane, that he ignored the evidence of the emotional turmoil he was leaving behind him.
My thoughts are - EVEN IF many of the criticisms were accurate...what kind of person would dump ALL of them on you at the same time...with everything else you are going through right now?!? Are you SURE this is someone who deserves THAT much respect? Because he/she seems in need of more sensitivity. Giving advice for 1 or 2 major life changes are quite enough for anyone to handle at any one time.

We are all imperfect and working the best we can at becoming the kind of person we each want to be...including Mr./Ms. Advice...who doubtless would not want to experience having the table turned and having a truckload full of his faults dumped on him/her all in one night.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be right now - learning, just like the rest of us!

You get a gold star for being a single mom in a tough economy and for doing so well for your (and your children's) health! Good job!

[ashkani]

Hiya everyone, it has been 1 year and a 1/2 since the last time I cleansed., and now I am on a Base and at the mercy of the local food supplier, which means no LIMES! I am more partial to them than the lemons...but I will proced. Last time I didn't do the SWF because of bathroom readiness concerns, but I will try it after a few days of the tea, which worked great for me before. My daughter is sending me a Tibetan singing bowl--not sure how to use, hope it comes with instructions--*to calm and center my spirit*.

So, looking forward to joining the community again.

[NewDirection]

Yes Lahontani it was in fact the very same man as our discussions earlier in the month... I will elaborate further via PM tomorrow or sometime this weekend - but wanted to say thank you so VERY much for all you have supported me this month.

You were there through the very hardest days cleanse and personal life - and you've come to mean the world to me! THANK you very VERY much.

Your unique way of making me look at this situation has brought me out of the darkest depths - which I have been wallowing in for the last 24 hours.

I will take your thoughts about how much weight I should be giving his words into consideration - just making me double think it for a moment has lifted quite a self doubting weight.

Hope you are enjoying yet another "first" day - and enjoy your big 25 tomorrow.

Be well.



-ND

[Lahontani]

Thank you, New Direction.

I did have a good day, all in all.

I am eagerly looking forward to food. But for me the weekends are the easiest days, so I know I will go at least 2 more.

In the meantime, I am going through my file of new soups I haven't tried. I want to make a new veggie soup every week. Here is a list of the soups I am planning on (all cooked):
(first, just the regular "kitchen sink" veggie soup I posted a few weeks ago)
Spicy Buternut Squash Soup. (the spicy is from cayenne, jalapeno, and saffron)
Thai Red Curry Soup (with lemongrass and basil)
Green Curried Lentil Soup (with fennel, carrots, and parsnips...and cayenne)
Sweet Potato, Corn and Jalapeno
Cashew Soup
Corn and Bell Pepper Chowder
Chestnut Soup
Green Bean, Zucchini, and Potatoe Stew
Shitake Mushroom, Green Onion and Sesame Soup
White Corn and Pbolano Chili Soup

That's 11 weeks worth...and I'm only planning 8 weeks between cleanses...so I'd better go through more than one soup per week if I want to try them all before my Spring cleanse.