Ten Miles and Still Raw

I ran the 10 mile Narragansett Blessing of the Fleet with my daughter Angela yesterday. Like an idiot I thought I could run it faster than I did two years ago. Back then, my first race, I paced myself. Yesterday I ran faster, until I reached the five mile marker and began to get tired. The last half of the race was pure pain in order not to suffer the humiliation of walking.

I had passed Angela, who is a better runner than I am, around the two mile mark. I was dragging along towards the end when she passed me after nine miles. I kept her in sight and within fifty yards of the finish I sprinted to catch up, I did, but she then sprinted away from me. I had to keep sprinting, after nearly ten miles of running, to finish the race right behind her. Like I said, I'm an idiot. I'm paying the price today, sore all over.

The best thing about yesterday, besides running with my beautiful daughter, was that I stayed raw and lost three pounds. I had a green smoothing this morning and feel good, inside at least. Life is good. A little yoga now and I'll be back in ship shape. I am keeping firmly in mind that it is not about having perfect bodily health, but health of body, mind, and spirit.

100% Raw--Finally!

My daughter Gina and I discussed how she makes green smoothies for earlier in the day and then makes tasty fruit smoothies with cacao and vanilla bean for later in the day. The second smoothie gets her through the tough afternoon cravings (I think that's how she put it). This morning I was desperate and decided that would be my new plan for today. I've been trying everything I can think of.

Just to make sure that I succeeded Gina came this morning and removed all of the bread from my house while I was out running. She didn't need to, the fruit smoothie (with all the extra goodies) worked! Today I finally made it 100% raw.

This may just be a little gift. I had the strong sense today that maybe some of us are not allowed to take perfect care of our bodies if we don't also try to do the same with our minds and souls. If we want to succeed in having a healthy diet for our bodies, maybe we are required to do the same for our thoughts and our spiritual lives, too. It makes sense to me, since we are wholes and not parts. Again, the holistic perspective and approach to living.

I've Been Robbed!

Be very careful what you tell people. I came home from running today and all of the bread in my house had been stolen. The suspect even left a note on the counter.

Struggling, But Not Discouraged

In Argentina when they were fighting the British over the Faulkland Islands the newspapers announced everyday, "we are winning, we are winning." Everyday, "we are winning, we are winning!" Then, one day, "we lost."

Everyday I start out to be 100% raw. My morning green smoothie, "we are winning, we are winning." My afternoon salad and veggies, "we are winning, we are winning." My dinner, "we lost."

Today, perfect all day. I am determined to stay raw tonight. I go to the market and buy all the fresh fruit that appeals to me. I come home. Banana. Peach. Almonds. Pumpkin seeds. I'm full. I'm not taking chances, I make and eat an avocado cacao vanilla bean pudding. I can't eat any more.

"Please, just three little pieces of toast, wouldn't you love that right now?" the voice in my head insists. I am not hungry at all, so I make and eat the toast. Whoever said that man is a rational being needs to have his head examined.

Another day, another day not totally raw. This is a real struggle, but I'm not giving up. I am totally convinced that eating raw is one of the most important things we can do to live vibrant lives. The good thing about all of this is that I realize that will power isn't working and so I've resorted to meditation. I'm meditating more in hopes of finding out why I haven't been able to do this yet. And I suspect that the answer itself is to get me to be more mindful, meditative, more aware of my choices and actions.

Tomorrow I will start all over again with a wonderful, refreshing green smoothie. One of these days...we're winning, we're winning, we've won!

Runner's High

It has been exactly two months since I've gotten serious about changing my diet. During this time, I have for the most part stopped eating animal products and cooked foods. Notice that I didn't say "give up" eating, that would indicate that I was "not" doing something. Instead, my perspective on this is that I am doing something positive--I am eating raw, living food.

The interesting thing is that I do not feel as though I am depriving myself of anything. I will be honest, every so often I do have ice cream. (I know there is a recipe for raw ice cream out there and when I find it...) So, I am losing weight and I feel lighter not only in body, but also in spirit. I don't feel as attached to things anymore.

Goji berries--get 'em! For the last two weeks I've been eating dried goji berries before running in the morning. Goji berries are the most sacred food in Chinese medicine. They are extremely high in protein and have ten times the antioxidants of blueberries. I now eat the berries as a pre-breakfast snack. (My main breakfast is a green smoothie that I have after running, at around 10 am.)

So, yesterday, I am running as usual, and after five miles I decided to keep going. Somewhere between six and seven miles I experienced the most intense runners high I have ever had. Oh, what a feeling! I ended up running eight miles yesterday and I am sure the goji berries had a lot to do with it. This is why I am not worried about becoming totally raw and the perfect vegan: if I just pay attention and keep learning, picking up new ideas, foods, recipes, if I improve a little each week, the process can be fun and painless.

Creating Space

Every morning, the first thing I do before doing anything is to create space. I sit on the floor, cross-legged, and do my best to empty my mind of things to think about and allow something from beyond me to enter into my life. I say to myself that this is the most important thing I will do all day long.

Most of the time my thoughts are running my life. "I have to do this...remember when...tomorrow I will...wouldn't it be nice...I'm hungry..." It never stops. Who is in control of my life? It's not me, it's my mind. Wouldn't it be nice to shut the damn thing down once in a while? After all, most of what that mind thing is doing is repeating thoughts from a hundred thousand yesterdays.

That's the problem. We never have room in our heads for something new to enter into our lives. I want a little creativity, I want new life in my life--every day!

So every morning I make time to make space to allow something from outside of me (my mind) to come into my life. It is the most important thing I do every day. It is the only way I can open up to more than little old me and allow whatever it is that creates the universe anew each morning into my life, my thoughts, my actions.

I sit and pay attention to my breath. I feel my chest rise and expand, fall and deflate. I feel my body become soft and open. I look out my window and see the leaves on the trees in various shades of green. I become aware of the space in which all of this exists. I allow everything to exist. I am here, now. And it feels really good. And I bring it with me to the next thing I do.

I wonder what would happen if I try making space more than just the first thing in the morning?

Pruning Perspectives

I have this lemon tree that my Dad gave to me. He grew it from a seed. I've kind of neglected it and it became--rather ugly looking. In fact, after having it for about 10 years, I was about to throw it out. Sorry to see what happened to it. Maybe I could have done a better job tending it.

I'm not sure why, but instead of dumping it I cut back all the dead leaves and branches and put it outside on the porch. There was not much left of the thing but two little surviving shoots. I did not expect the tree to survive.

It's been three weeks now. This morning I counted six new vibrant branches busting out all over the place, one even out of the ground! The thing has a new life--and I'm determined to make this new one better than the old.

Here's the moral of the story--sometimes we gotta cut out the dead parts of our lives in order for the new aspects of ourselves to bust out. We can start over, we can have a second chance. Sometimes loss can be a good thing. And change. But--along with the cutting out we need a little sunshine and water, don't forget the water!