I've finished the cleanse a week and a half ago which I underwent to see if I could stay off steroids and heal myself through nutrition. There's so much I've learned about myself and nutrition - it's quite remarkable! Still compiling an entire post about it - it may never get published at this rate.
I can report that the cleanse was totally worth it and I'm still continuing some aspects of it as I reintroduce foods - gluten, then meat, then dairy and now the whole grain quinoa [pronounced Keen-wah]. Reintroducing gluten proved to have an immediate effect. In a completely weak moment at the end of the diet, I succumbed and ate a plain eggo and a doughnut in one morning while out and about. Within a half hour, I had a horrible headache and stomach ache for the rest of the day. I mourned that revelation for a few days because I REALLY love bread, crackers, IHOP pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, hamburger and hotdog buns w/ meat just off the grill . . .
So a week and a half ago was also Conference weekend. Loving all the spiritual promptings I had to improve myself, I also quickly fell into one of those “self-evaluation” crises that come once in a while, following quickly on the heels of feeling so in charge of my life. In the midst of this crisis, I was also trying to pull myself together for the post-cleanse appt with my doctor so I could discuss all my insights and remember all my burning questions.
Then Ryan had sat us down for FHE to talk about our family emergency plans. Ever wary of my state of mind, Ryan could see I was upset after he asked me to fill out some little basic form. I fell apart. I just couldn't imagine adding one more thing to my plate at that moment. I'm sure he was completely caught off guard once again, since I'm the type that tends to stew and bottle things up.
Ryan lovingly, patiently sat and listened to me grump and cry until I'd come to the part where I didn't know what to do or where to begin. He asked what we could do right then about my overwhelmed to-do list. I mentioned that I'd been thinking about putting the boys together in the same bedroom. We'd already put the boys to bed, but we got them up and moved the rooms around! Poor Ryan tweaked his hip moving furniture and it's been bothering him since - not good for a marathon runner in training! I don’t know why that project helped, but apparently my perfectionist-immobilized self needed some a serious physical task to feel better.
I'm glad to report that this very project helped me get out of my rut and I attribute it all to Ryan's Do It attitude. So the project and getting back to eating right! I told a friend I'd do a yard sale with her so that I'd be sure to clean out the clutter. I am a gal in need of deadlines! A friend commented on her blog that preparing for house guests makes her finish home projects or take on new ones. That is SOOOOO me it's not even funny! The ultimate FEAR Factor in my book! I was also partially inspired by snippets of a book I read after putting a friend's kids to bed. Many know this lady as the FLYLady. If you don't know about her, google her.
