CureZone Blogs and Forums, Educating instead of medicating

It's been a long day. Not a bad day by any means, just long. Today is Day 24 of my 30 day juice fast journey. I have six more days to go! Less than a week and since it's already after 10:00pm it's practically tomorrow, which makes it practically 5 days left. <sigh> I envy Julie (ausjulie) who just came off her 30 day fast. She hasn't been around all day long. I betcha she's eating. I'd like to know what she's eating, too. I bet it tastes so good. Have fun Julie!

Some Sporatic Off-the-Top-of-My-Head Notes for People Beginning a Juice Fast Journey:

Most juice fast purists would frown upon sipping hot veggie and fruit broths during the fast, as a pure juice fast should consist of nothing but raw juices, herbal teas and water. I have done it this way, too. The first 30 day fast I did was pure as pure can be. Nothing whatsoever except raw juices, teas and water. Lots and lots of water, with and without a tickle of lemon/lime. My two week fasts are always pure juices, water, teas and nothing else. However, I confess I have been unpure on two fasts with the broths during the first week and then after that I have no desire for them anymore. My body wanted some broths and at the time, those broths appeased those compelling demands and as far as I am concerned, that's okay. Just make sure you're drinking more juices than broths and more water than juices.

I believe in variety so I dress my juices and teas up using all sorts of herbs and spices, from cinnamon sticks and ginger, to basil (run a teeny bit fresh through the juicer in tomato based juices) and cayenne, mints, cloves, black pepper... whatever works. Use sparking water now and then for a Ginger Ale (http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=573&i=9). Experiment, play around, use your imagination, nothing is written in stone as long as it's not toxic, OTC med, alcohol (soda, coffee, milk etc) or solid food. I have to figure out a way to keep me on this fast for THIRTY DAYS, so I had best like what I am drinking. So I dress 'em up if I need to!

There are going to be bad days. There's really no getting around that. If you don't have any bad days at all, you're not detoxing. Bad days can be merely feeling under the weather, to feeling down right sick. Fleeting headaches. Headaches that stay in the background all day long. Rashes, acne, mysterious aches and pains, old injury aches and pains are all a part of the removal of toxins. This can occur the first day of your fast or it can occur for the first time on the 15th day of your fast. It all depends upon your own body and the condition it is in and how often you fast and cleanse your body. Lots of variables. http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=573&i=31

A prolonged juice fast, is a Journey. A Journey that teaches and instructs as you advance along the Path. It's a quest for better health and a way for you to get to know your body intimately. Your body will speak to you as you fast and you will be a marvelling witness to the spontaneous rejuvenation your body will undertake as it deliberately sheds all things toxic. Your beloved body undergoes radical changes in a short period of time. It sheds excess weight, removes stored up toxins, heals, balances and rejuvenates. It clears and clarifies the brain and mind and as such perceptions change. When I come off a fast, I have a tendency to be so much more gentle with myself. I am lighter. I am more sensitive to smells, touch, taste colors, light and energy. I find I have shed old negative perceptions of myself and this reflects on the world. The more fasts you experience the clearer the thinking, the deeper the perceptions and the kinder the world.

If you begin a 30 day juice fast and find that you can't continue, try to wait until the next day before breaking the fast. In the meantime, drink a copious amount of juice and water and then rest. Lay down with a book/ magazine/tv-remote/music/sleep. Try new juice recipes for a kick: http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=573&i=40 But do try to wait until the next day so you can end the fast on a high note. To break a fast on a low note will leave a sour taste in your mouth for a while. A feeling that you could have done better. By waiting one day, you'll usually find the next day that you can continue. Whatever feeling it is that makes you believe you can't continue usually passes away by the time you wake up the next day. This desire to quit the fast can happen at the beginning of your fast during when the digestive system is shutting down and hunger is painful; it can happen halfway through when you hit a plateau and it certainly can happen when you're only a matter of days from the finish line. Just try and ride it out. You'll be so glad you did.

Consider giving yourself a reward when you've completed your fast. A reward that would compliment the fast and perhaps inspire you to continue on your quest for better health and higher mind. Pehaps give yourself persmission to learn something new, take a class in herbology, homeopathy, meditation, yoga, dance, whatever strikes your fancy. A fully body massage and new clothes on a new body would sure stroke a deserving self esteem. Learn about the RAW food lifestyle and learn how to prepare some of the recipes. What a gift to give your body. In any case, a triumphant 30 day juice fast is a big deal and we actively and directly acknowledge ourselves and our accomplishment by rewarding ourselves when we succeed to the finish line.

I have undertaken a project that may prove to be over my head, but I intend to stick it out to the end and to give it my absolute very best. My project is to help a young 27 year old man to get his GED (General Education Diploma). The thing is, he was pulled out of school extremely young and only has a 5th grade education. That's the aspect of this project that has me a bit overwhelmed.

The reason I have undertaken this project is because this young man is my son-in-law's cousin and therefore a part of my family. But more than that, he is one of those beings who slipped through the cracks at such a young age. He's had absolutely no loving guidance in his life and as such he has made so many mistakes and has a terrible lifestyle of drugs, drinking, low level paying jobs, no vehicle, no place of his own to live. He believes there's no hope for him because he doesn't see his own value. The other evening he and my son were visiting and he mentioned that life has become so bad that... and he made a slashing gesture across his neck. I responded with, "No, that's not the answer. You're worth much more than that and have much to offer and share with the world." He has these huge liquid eyes the color of a cloudless sky and they became larger as I spoke, then tears puddled up in his eyes and he said, "I have been waiting all my life to hear someone tell me I am worth it."

I can't tell you the sorrow I felt when he made that confession. He went on to say how he was almost 30 years old and had nothing to show for it. He was almost 30 years old and had nothing to call his own, including his own space. He was almost 30 years old and didn't have anyone to share himself with. He went on in this vein for a bit, kinda like pulling the plug on an over flowing bathtub... lettin' it out. Then he concluded with, "And I don't know where to begin or what to do."

My son and I both said, "You need an education." And that's when I offered to help him get his GED. It was later when discussing things, we learned he'd not gone beyond 5th grade. It's such a tragic and sad story. I'm not sure really where to begin. I thought to go to Books-a-Million and buy some school work books beginning with the 5th grade on up through high school and things like flash cards, and story books, puzzles and what have you... He has good handwriting. He doesn't seem dumb. Ignorant at times, yes. But not dumb. He's learnable. I thought perhaps to do a blog on this project, to keep a record of the progress would be interesting and perhaps informative.

Time for tea and a long soak to think about this before I hunt some dreams.

And may all yours be sweet...

~ Dazzle