Thursday, July 21, 2011

July 21st, 2011 - Day 12 of 60

Things have been going pretty well on my reboot.  If you've been reading along for a while you'll know that I am not so much doing this for weight loss as I am to feel better and get some control back in my life.  Yes, there is some weight loss and I certainly will not complain about it, but feeling so good  after such a period of time absent from that feeling is a true gift.  I've been able to go through my complete yoga routine for several days straight, only occasionally wishing I was a bit younger.  It has been pretty good.  In that spirit, I wanted to share something that might help those who are looking at the juice as a chore or a necessary evil.  This is not an original thought, just a new spin on an old idea.  Yes, it may feel a bit weird (of course it is, this is Frank Black typing), but trust me, it will make your juicing a new experience.  When you have some time (and by "some time" I mean a good half hour or so) during your day and you are going to juice, perhaps you can think about this...

Before you juice your produce, place it all on the counter along with your juicer.  Look at the produce.  Consider the miracle it is.  Consider how fortunate you are to have access to it and have the means to purchase it. 

Look at your juicer.  Consider the wonder of its technology.  Imagine how someone one hundred years ago would have reacted to owning it.  Think of the work it saves you and the possibilities it opens.

When you are washing your produce, consider your good fortune in having clean running water. 

When you hold the produce in your hand, take a moment to think about its journey.  Think about it growing on a tree, vine or in the ground.  Think about the sun's rays that brought the necessary energy from 93 million miles away and to your piece of produce.  Think of the rain falling so far to just land on your piece of produce.  Think of the bees that may have pollinated it if it required that.  Think of the soil and all the life that lives in that soil that gave it a home and nutrients.

When you hold your produce, really feel it.  Roll it around in your hand.  Look at it.  Examine it.  Appreciate what a miracle it is.  How does one piece feel different from another?

When you see your produce, consider all the people required to get it to you.  Think of the people who planted it.  Think of the people who tended it.  Think of the people who harvested it.  Think of the people who created all the tools and infrastructure to support those who produced it.  Think of the people who sorted, cleaned, packaged and trucked it from nearby or far away.  Think of the miles it traveled.  Think of the people who sold it to you and the people with whom you share it.  Think of all those people together.  They made that piece of produce possible.  Send them a smile of gratitude.

As you peel, cut and prepare your produce, feel the knife on each piece.  Feel how the flesh or skins yield to your hands.  Listen to the sound they make.  Look at the juices as they flow from the open slices and sections.  Feel the juices as they touch your hands.

As you prepare to juice the produce, consider all the people who went into making your juicer, just as you did for your produce.

As the first piece of produce is inserted into the juicer, listen for the sound.  Hear the first drop of juice being expelled.  Wait for the fragrance of the juice as it is lifted into your nostrils.  Look at the color and quality of the juice.

As you continue to juice your produce, examine how different types of produce interact with your senses and the juice.  Notice how colors blend.  Notice the froth.  Listen to the differences in sounds when juicing and when the juice falls.  Notice how the aromas merge.

When you are finished juicing and begin cleaning up, pay attention to what you are doing.  Enjoy the process of clean-up rather than thinking about drinking the juice.  Clean up with gratitude.

Before you drink your juice, find a place where you can spend a few quiet minutes.  Sit and take a moment to just examine the juice in the glass.  Look closely and see if you can find pulp, fiber or flecks of skin or seed. 

Hold the glass up to your ear.  Do you hear anything?  Any popping froth bubbles?

Take a moment again to consider all the people and all the resources that were required to bring that juice to you.

Lean in closely and smell the juice.  Really smell it.  Take it in.  Taste it with your nose.  Spend a few moments  Doing that.

Gently dip the tip of your finger into the juice.  Note how it feels.  Note how it looks.

Gently dip the tip of your finger into the juice again, this time touching your finger to the tip of your tongue.  Pay attention to the taste and feel.  Take a moment to savor it.

Take your glass or cup into your hands.  Is it warm or cool?  Is it heavy?

As you slowly bring the glass up to your lips, take a moment to feel the first touch of froth or juice.

Make your first sip a small one that sits on your tongue for a moment and do not swallow immediately.  Feel its consistency.  Move it around a bit on your tongue. Does it taste the same on all portions of your tongue?  If you draw in a bit of air from your lips, can you taste it differently?

Take another sip, paying attention to the whole process of it going through the lips, touching your tongue, teeth and throat.  Feel it going down into your stomach.  Pay attention to how it feels in there.

As you drink your juice, try to savor each sip with attention and appreciation.

When the juice is gone, look at the glass or cup and examine what is left.  That is the juice that almost made it.  It came a long way but didn't quite make it in.  That is a noble thing.

As you go on with your day, consider how the juice is now racing to your cells and bringing you nourishment and healing.  Be grateful for it.

No, you are not crazy (maybe I am), you are aware of and engaged with your food.  You understand how wonderful it is to have that food.  You appreciate all the energy, time and resources that brought it to you.  When you are grateful for things you act differently.  When you start to act differently, you are on the road to change.  And that, my dear Rebooters, is what this is all about.





Progress:
I am 20% through the 60 days.




Weight: 158.0 lbs.













Food: Fruit/Veg Smoothie With Hemp Seed

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