Day I: What Was I Thinking?

It's the morning of October 31, Halloween, and I'm staggering around the house feeling gobsmacked. Sunday, my favorite day to make coffee and read the paper, and there is no coffee. Literally. We are out.

The rub is, we ran out intentionally. As part of our cleansing diet, coffee, and ultimately caffeine in any form, should be off the diet for the next 30 days. So is red meat, anything made with wheat. Dairy's gone. Citrus? Uh uh. Tomatoes and peppers? Gone, daddy gone.

Wow, I think. I'm PAYING for this experience?

The answer is yes, I am paying for this experience. Financially, emotionally, and physically. I am sore from last night's intense yoga class, my head is sore from the three glasses of red wine that was part of the Halloween costume party and 'goodbye for 30 days to certain food and drink staples' that followed, and now I have a coffee-withdrawal headache.

To borrow from Jimmy Buffett, my head hurts, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus.

At least for now. Honestly, I need to change my outlook, and will. In addition to the dietary changes, part of the 'Ground Into Fall' workshop involves exploring principles of the Anusara yoga practice I started in April. This week's principle is attitude.

And mine's grumpy right now. That needs to change. So does the attitude that I can unthinkingly shovel whatever I want into my body these days and achieve different results, healthwise. That's a little too close to Einstein's definition of insanity

The thing I'm trying to remember about this effort is that I CHOSE this, set an intention to do this. No one put a gun to my head and said 'quit eating cheese, lemons, or drinking coffee for a month.' This was part of taking on the attitude that, after 30+ years of making food choices, good or bad, it was time evaluate some things about what I ate, when I ate them, how often, and why. It's tough--but realistic--to admit, that my body's changing as I age (gracefully), and those changes are going to require some adjustments.

Of course, making dietary adjustments here is really also a symbol for making attitudinal lifestyle adjustments to my physical and metaphysical states of being. It's all interconnected, after all. The intent is to walk further down the path of becoming a better, more complete person.

Only this month, I'll be doing it with a cup of yerba mate in the morning. Sorry Juan Valdez, look me up in early December. Maybe.

Meantime, what's for breakfast?