End of My Master Cleanse Experience

That's it! It's over! I made it 7 days on maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt water. Now, almost a week later, I find that I am missing the simplicity and purity of the fast. For the first few days after the experience ended, I was not interested in food. In fact, I barely ate and had no real desire to go back to my "old" habits. Now, however, I am finding that old habits die hard.

I went grocery shopping yesterday. Spending quite a bit of time in the organics section, I found myself seriously considering the type of fuel (food) I want to put into my body. So, I bought lots of fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains. My friend Amy mentioned that dairy products are extremely hard to digest. Unfortunately, I have a HUGE addiction to cheese and whole milk Brown Cow or Stoneyfield Farm yogurt - with cream on top. YUMMY!!! I just can't seem to give up these two simple pleasures!

Chocolate was hard as well, but I had Lent on my side and found that Faith is a pretty strong motivational factor. I'm not quite sure that God cares if I eat or don't eat chocolate, but for me, it is a traditional show of Devotion by staying strong to an ideal. Lent is a time for reflection and growth. A time to purify and reconsider where my path is headed.

I had many people ask if my fast was related to Lent, or religious in nature. While my answer was "no", upon further consideration I think that part of it had to do with strengthening my spirituality and faith. It's funny. I grew up Catholic and find that now I no longer buy into the organization of this particular religion. In fact, I would define myself as a much more spiritual, faith-based person than a religious one. Yet, here I am, following the religious rules, and giving up one of my favorite pleasures - dark chocolate.

Last Sunday I became a member of the Unity Center for Spiritual Growth in Athens. The brief ceremony included picking up a smooth, small pebble and adding it to the path of pebbles which had been created as other people became members. I found the symbolism striking. Here I was, thinking I was alone on my personal journey through life, only to realize that I am one of many unique, beautiful, shiny, individual entities which, when grouped together, form a cohesive and congruent trail. And, no matter how the path bends or the amount of obstacles along the trail, the power of a higher entity assists and leads us all, providing a never-ending flow of Divine wisdom and guidance.

Master Cleanse - Day 2

I'm Hungry. A slight side effect from the fast. That and being perpetually chilly. I decided to approach this morning's salt water breakfast with a different attitude. As discussed yesterday, I took every sip with a sense of gratitude and reflection, listening to the birds outside my kitchen window and feeling blessed in knowing that I am at a place in my own personal journey where I can afford the luxury of taking time out to do a 10-day detox.

Luxury seemed to be a recurrent theme throughout my day. As I was warming up in the bath this morning, I was considering the luxury of time. It seems like sometimes we have all that we need - perhaps more than we need - yet there is ALWAYS too much to do and never enough time to get it all done. How does that work?

Case in point, I spent a luxurious 20 minutes in the tub, perusing some homework and contemplating the whole time continuum. It seemed like I had forever handed to me, yet I still was late to church. Of course, I am habitually late. I don't mean to be. Guess it is one of my character flaws.

Nevertheless, I realize that the clock keeps ticking and I am not getting any younger. When I consider what this means, I think about family, travel, and PURPOSE. Reverend Mary Covington spoke today at church, and her message was "CALLED ON or CALLED OUT” As she reminded me, we all have a purpose. We have all been placed here for a definitive reason. Spending forever trying to figure out what that purpose is, though, is a waste of time.

Inherently we all know why we are here. It is what we feel connected to, what we feel passionate about, what makes us smile, what motivates us from the fire deep within our souls. Unfortunately, sometimes we get stuck in a rut and, instead of finding the courage and compassion to honor our Divine purpose, we push it further and further from the forefront of daily living until it becomes a distant glimmer.

We all have been CALLED ON to fulfill our purpose in life. Sometimes that might be being an amazing friend, a great listener, or simply a compassionate human being. Others have more specific callings - being a healer, a teacher, a provider, a history-maker. If we have been CALLED OUT, it is time to act. No more pushing your Divine purpose to the wayside. Acting takes COURAGE and COURAGE is often a difficult thing to muster. But, because acting on our PURPOSE is rooted to our very core, our essence of being, there is no reason to fear it.

Live as you were meant to and the rest will take care of itself.

Master Cleanse - Day 1

Today was DAY 1 of my cleansing experience. I had no idea it would be so difficult. (Looking at that picture of me holding the chocolate assortment is making my mouth water!) The day started early with a refreshing 32oz salt water breakfast. It took me 45 minutes to get this salt water concoction down the hatch. Feeling as if I were back underway, with my stomach slighly queasy and the lingering taste of sea salt on my lips, I thought, "Oh well, only 9 more mornings like this and I'm done." Perhaps not the most upbeat way to start my 10-day journey; but, who can really remain upbeat when salt water is flushing through the system, finding a quick and determined exit at the other end?

It took a full two hours to recover from the flush. I still can't believe this is to become my morning ritual for the next 9 days. Man I miss my coffee! Salt water and the morning paper just doesn't have the same appeal!

When I finally started into the lemonade drinks, I found that they are actually quite tasty! Who would have thought a blend of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper could be so good? Good enough, I found, that the cravings for them occurred about every hour-and-a-half throughout the day.

I called my girlfriend Amy, who initally turned me onto this idea, numerous times throughout the day. "Should my tounge be turning white and fuzzy ALREADY?" I asked. It just seemed too soon. To her credit, she fielded these questions and continued to check in on me throughout the day. Her quiet confidence ensured me all is normal and my mouth is supposed to taste icky at this point. "Your body is detoxing itself" she said. "Give it a few days." The website says the tongue is supposed to return to bright, clean pink after the body has fully detoxed. Some people take longer than others to reach this nirvana. With my luck, I am looking at YEARS, not days!

Going without food for this entire day was tough because it made me begin to understand how much of our culture, our lifestyles revolve around it. We get together for drinks. We go out for dinner and a movie. The kitchen is the hub - the HEART of the home. I am not saying this is a bad thing. In fact, I think it's great! The part that is disturbing is how PROGRAMMED we all are to it. How much we take simple things such as eating, or our lifestyles which revolve around it, for granted.

In these next 9 days, I resolve to get back to my roots. To achieve a better sense of GRATITUDE for the simple things. As I am struggling to get through tomorrow morning's sea salt delight, I will focus on the positives - on the fact that it is a new day, a new morning, a new opportunity to do something I have not done in order to help make the planet a little better, a little brighter, one sip at a time.

Nourishment

You are what you eat, or so the saying goes. Along those lines, I truly believe we are also a product of what we think. I have spent quite a bit of time purging myself of negative thinking habits, and, through meditation, journaling and spirituality have found inner-peace beginning to blossom.

So, it is time to work on the vessel. One of my girlfriends turned me onto the Master Cleanse over a year ago. While I was intrigued, I was not at the point where I could mentally commit to ten days of lemon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup drinks. Even now the thought is rather daunting!

The problem is, I LOVE food. I think this gastronomic appreciation stemmed from my father, who used to take exotic weekend trips to France because his palate demanded the Nouveau Bougelais. I grew up in a household where we were expected to clean our plates (we never did have a dog to help us out) and seconds were encouraged.

While I would like to say this type of nutritional construct was balanced, it was actually way off kilter. In fact, I have ALWAYS struggled with my weight, and continue to do so. Five years ago, I made a solid effort to battle the bulge and lost nearly 50 pounds. Working with a personal trainer, I reassessed my thoughts about food, exercise and lifestyle choices. Now I find I spend a lot more time at the gym and playing outside, reaping the benefits of fresh air and exercise. However, food still tempts me. Especially CHOCOLATE!

Even so, it can't physically be SO difficult to give up food for 10 days. It's more of a mental challenge. Even though I will start each day downing 32 ounces of salt water, and drink nothing but spicy-sweet "lemonade", the challenge really lies in wrestling with my own attitudes towards food.

When I consider my social life, most of it revolves around food or drink. A cup of coffee, going out for dinner, it all centers around the stomach. How in the world will I find anything to do (besides schoolwork) for the next 10 days??

For me, this is the next step in my journey of self-growth and self-care. Ridding the toxins from my body is just as important as ridding the negative thought patterns from my brain.

I'll continue to blog as I progress through this journey. I promise to focus more on the journey than the physical symptoms. Even when my tongue turns white and fuzzy during the detox phase, I will continue to write about the journey. Talking, it seems, may be a bit trickier!