You Can't Hail Mary Your Way Out of This One

So, how's the Gluten Challenge going for those of you participating?  I hope you're finding ease, enjoyment, and some of the health benefits outlined in last week's email, contrary to the gluten-free magazine, "Living Without."  (That magazine title always puzzles me, and I wonder what other names were in the running for this publication...like "Life Sucks" or "Made to Suffer.")  I digress.

As the season of Lent is upon us, I am reminded of my Catholic junior high days, sweating bullets when we celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation.  I think I started developing ulcers at a young age as I carefully crafted my "sinner's speech."  It didn't help that our priest frequented our house for dinner and Notre Dame football games.  Anyway, I always wanted it to sound heartfelt and exhaustive without being too lengthy.  (I mean, if a kid stood up there too long, you might begin to wonder.) 

Nonetheless, I always accepted my penance - usually 10 Hail Marys - and then felt absolved, lighter, more free.  As awful as confession felt for me, those Hail Marys could always make me feel better.

Fast forward to present day.  As I look back over the past year, I have a laundry list of health sins to confess. Today starts Day 5 of our cleanse, and I just realized that I chose this 21 day cleanse to be my 10 Hail Marys.

Detox = Penance

I confess that my intention of the cleanse was to be absolved of all those bad food and lifestyle choices of the past year.  The intention was punishment.  As such, I have felt deprived and weak (physically and mentally).  

What if cleansing was like winning the Super Bowl and going to Disneyland?  For one, all the sad, pitiful looks you get when you tell people you're cleansing would disappear.  Second, I'd be jumping out of bed everyday asking, "Are we there yet?  Is it time for my smoothie?"

So get out your Mickey Mouse ears, check out our menu, and treat yourself to a real Spring Break - a break from the processed junk, never-ending pile of dishes, and punishing stories.

What You Really Need to Detox

Detox [v.  dee - toks]  - to undergo treatment to rid the body of poisonous substances, remove excess junk and clutter, to de-crapify 

I HATE surprises.  One of Brian's favorite ways to irritate me is to tell me he has a surprise which cannot be known until some future time.  And (to NO surprise), this conversation always ends with him telling me at least partial details of the surprise because I aggressively nag it out of him.  So for those of you undergoing the Gluten Challenge, I wanted to let you in on one little secret.

When you remove the @#$#%^* from your diet, you may remove (or increase your awareness of) the @#$#%^* in your life.

Brian and I will be undergoing a 21 day cleanse starting tomorrow.  I'd by lying if I said I wasn't anxious about giving up my Pinot Noir.  Specifically, what will Brian and I drink after we collapse in our chairs from getting both girls tucked in bed...or when our rental home kitchen ceiling starts dripping (read: raining) for 45 minutes.  And then, there's the (insert crunchy salty snack here).  When stress gets high and life gets fast, some people do yoga or meditate, I crunch.  The benefits of detoxing are far-reaching and we're just proposing baby steps.

We are committed to 21 days of self-care, decluttering, and removal of all the junk.  We're opening that closet door, you know, the one with stuff piled high to the ceiling just so the door could be shut.  Stay tuned for the detox journey.  Let us know what junk comes up in yours.  At the end of the month, let's have a big yard sale!