August 28th, 2001 - Day 50 of 60

While much of what I write here on my Reboot blog has little to do in a practical sense with the mechanics of Rebooting, I do try to weave the conceptual flavor of Rebooting into the words.  I am certainly one who understands the value and need for practical, how-to types of writing.  We all need to learn and those who have done or are doing something tend to generate the sort of information those embarking on that journey crave.  But I am more than happy to defer to those more skilled than I when it comes to the nuts (raw with no salt) and bolts (don't bolt your food) of the Reboot.  I tend to wax philosophic because I am one who feels motivation and deeply understanding "the why" of things is crucial for success.  People will gladly walk to their deaths, singing a song if they feel the cause is right.  Now, while I understand that drinking juice made from Beets and Arugula and Brussels Sprouts and Okra may taste as close to death as one can come (well, equally close might be a Red Bull/Prune Juice shot, which I'd call a "Bullsh*t". It will get you running in all possible ways), I also realize that the Reboot isn't quite as dire as that.  But I most certainly DO want everyone to succeed in all aspects of their lives.  I especially want people to succeed in their Reboot, as I know that once they get a certain distance down the Reboot path, it will affect other aspects of their lives.  It is a connected series of occurrences which all flutter in the same breeze.  Think of it like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, only we don't use bacon any more.  For example:

1) You decide to do the Reboot, but worry you are not strong-willed enough.
2) You start out whirring whatever is in your 'fridge in your old Osterizer blender.  Hey, it ain't half bad!  Oops, I think that was cheesecake I put in there.
3) Inspired by your general lack of death from your first homemade juice, you feel less fear and buy a new juicer, lots of fresh produce and walking shoes.
4) You find you love juicing and walking and feel so wonderful you can't believe it.  Within four days you decide to go for the full 60 days like Joe and Phil.
5) * Something extraordinary happens here *
6) You win the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the Powerball jackpot, find true love and finally learn to whistle with your fingers in your mouth.

See how easy it is?

As I write this very sentence, the center of Hurricane Irene (now a tropical storm) is as close to me as it is going to get.   This whole situation got me thinking... well,  about the things... about which I think:  motivation, natural law, optimal living methods, reality vs. perception, etc.  Our ancestors (long, long ago ancestors) didn't have real-time tracking of storms or ceramic water filters or weather-repelling radial tires or even a raincoat.  They looked around and saw something was up from the sky or inferred looming danger from the behavior of the animals or from pure instinct.  The storm would come and they would seek shelter where they could find it (caves were the favorite).  Then what did you do?  You rode out the storm.  You sit, listen to the lullaby raindrops fall and just watch life.  Or, put in less urgent terms, consider the seasons:  I've read in some places that in the Winter, before food storage was perfected and Tupperware's invention was unimagined generations away, people mainly laid around and moved as little as possible during the cold.  They would, literally, hunker down.  They didn't have chainsaws and gas-powered splitters.  Firewood was hard to come by.  You kept the temperature as warm as possible (above freezing), lay around in piles and only moved when you had to do so.  You saved energy, stored calories and reduced the possibility of injury.  You ate very little since you had very little food and subsisted on all the fat you stored by consuming all you could when it was available.  I think this ancient memory is still embedded within us and explains why we simply cannot pass up the hors d'oeuvres platter at parties whenever it comes near.  Add to this the lack of snow shovels and lack of light.  If you are like most people, when it is gray and rainy you just want to sleep.  I think that is another built-in feature of our model.

I bring all this up because Irene is knocking on my windows and asking to come in for a visit.  While I'm sure she is fine company and has many interesting stories to tell (she has traveled all over the place, after all), I am really not in a place where I can do that.  Irene has brought along waters, winds, gray skies and a general feeling of inadequacy.  So, we sit and we wait.  We read and we just allow ourselves to BE.  We put the rest of our lives in perspective and find a seed of gratitude for our general lot springing up.  And, I realize that over the past weeks I've been running around so much that I am sure the load of calories I've been eating would be taking a toll on my waistline if I spent each day like this.  The relaxations is welcome, but I know that just sitting here is not burning many calories.  But, sometimes life compels us to adjust. And that, FINALLY, is the point of this whole post.

We have to learn to adjust in our life.  We often learn it the hard way, but we will learn it.  Experience is the best teacher and the experience of others is even better if we are smart enough to understand that at a young age.  When learning to shoot, one stumbles on the concept of "Kentucky Windage".  That being the slight alteration of aim to take into account a long target distance and the intervening wind as it pertains to accuracy.  There are insane numbers of ways we've learned to adapt that we don't even consider.  How many times have you taken a class in life and had to adjust how you wrote or answered questions just to ensure you got a better grade from your teacher?  You didn't say what you really felt, but you said what you know the teacher wanted to hear to ensure you received an A+.  How many times did you alter your appearance or behavior outside of the norm to impress a date or important person?  How many times have you started a recipe and found you were missing an ingredient, so you had to wing it?  I could go on.  Thinking about the storm for me wasn't just about the obvious things, it was also about how it would affect my Reboot.  I ensured I had adequate food in case the lights went out for a prolonged period.  I understood that my energy expenditure was limited, so I adjusted a few things.  I put it into the context of general life and how we eat and why we eat and what we eat.  The Reboot, if done properly, affects EVERYTHING you do.  It is not just a physical reaction to fewer and higher quality calories.  It is understanding the natural order of things and trying one's best to live in accordance with that understanding.  Yes, the Reboot IS philosophy.  "As a man thinketh, so is he."

I have no idea what the fallout of Irene will be on my home, personal effects and life.  I'll know for certain once it is past for a day or so.  Likewise, I have no idea what the fallout of the Reboot will be on my life.  On the one hand (trying not to be overly dramatic) I feel like Neo being offered the red and blue pills.  Once you know something, you can't un-know it.  On the other hand, I am well-aware of man's incredible ability to rationalize any thought to suit his desires.  "Oh, it is just one cookie, what will it hurt?"  I do know that, like Irene, the path is uncertain and sometimes you have to just go with the flow and hope for the best.  For now, the best I can do is listen to raindrops made of water that may have come from the Caribbean.  I'll sit and listen and try to understand their purpose in my life.  And, in the midst of that, I'll know that something has changed in me based on how I have started to frame all I do in the context of my Reboot.  While it may not spark the sort of change that will give me 120 years of life, transform my body into one able to do underwear modeling or even win me the Nobel Prize, it is a sign of REAL change.  That is something we can all agree is welcome (unlike Irene).

Goodnight, Irene.

Progress:

I am 80% through the 60 days.

Weight: 147.3 lbs.

I'm sure the bandage adds several pounds.

Food: Watermelon, Raw Cacao Goji Seed Chunks, Broccoli Slaw, Banana, Almond Butter, Cherries

Watermelon while reading about water is appropriate.

Neat-o!  They have my raw salsa in organic now!