Day 23, it felt like my sap began to rise. I did not do the
Salt Water Flush, opting for the lax tea again. It was sort
of comforting to sip something warm and sweet instead of the
room temperature briny saltwater.
There was a flurry of activity early in the morning since it
seems we are back to the hot days of summer. Certainly, if I
were not fasting, it would be a great day to set up a WATER
WAR and invite the neighbors over so we could soak each other.
If I were younger, that old family favorite, the slip-n-slide
would be appropriate for today! A roll of plastic and a hose
and you are in business!
Of course, you can expect some bruising if you slam the
ground too hard!
My neighbors had not moved here yet when we had the whole house
involved in a water battles. It begins with some unspoken decision,
usually born of a weatherman's forcast. Then we make plans. I
have my own bathroom and am an expert at making water balloons.
We will hide water balloons in the freezer outside to get cool
and then, to protect them, I will put mine in a cooler in my
van and lock it! We hide them all over the property too. Usually
the girls have the patience to make water balloons and the guys
depend on leaping like gazelles to avoid being hit since the girls
are also notoriously bad marks when it comes to throwing them.
We have a variety of water guns but the weapon of choice is a
Stream Machine. I have a couple of the largest, which when
filled, can deliver an awesome amount of drenching!
One sign a water war is coming up is the disappearance of
buckets and garbage cans. My friend's husband is always up
first and he can be seen scurrying around hiding the water
buckets in the fields and behind trees. If I peek from my
bathroom window and watch, I can figure out where many of
them are since it is important in reloading to have a source
of water.
If you are unsuspecting, it is nothing to go outside some
morning and be hit in the back from a water gun of someone
up on the roof!
Anyway, its lots of fun when its hot and it seems to revive
everyone out of the summer doldrums and there is so much laughing
and squealing (by the girls) and whoops of victory by the guys.
I do not think the girls have ever really *won* any battles, but
its still fun to get wet and wild.
We do have one rule...no water guns in the house!
For the most part though, today, my plan is to get my
chores done and hole up in my airconditioning. I did all
my Master Cleanse chores too. Its always nice to make a day's
worth of lemonade for me since it seems the hunger for it hits
me and it helps me to stick with the program if all I need to
do is reach for a bottle. I read in my research that if you
wanted to make up a days worth at a time to store it in a
bottle right up to the top so there is not much air in the
bottle to break down the enzymes. So that is one change I
have made recently.
I had bookkeeping to do today and it went very easy too. I
like fridays since it is a chance to get everything done and
be ready for the weekend. So, laundry, the few dishes I am
getting dirty, and floors and vacuming.
Most of all, I wanted to finish up a couple of blog entries
I had been researching and thinking about. I was successful
in putting them together and still had good energy so that
really made me feel encouraged that my sap was rising again!
I am still adding more cayenne so kept that up and am amazed
how fast my body adjusted to it! No more mouth on fire!
I went to visit the neighbors. It was the first day I felt
like doing it. My neighbor's wife had been shopping and so
I was able to admire her new purchases. I look forward to when
we can go together shopping and to lunch at *our* favorite
Asian Diner, Pei Wei's. We always go there when we go out
together since there are so many healthy food choices!
I did not stay too long since the smells of brunch were so
good, and my mind has wandered to food a time or two today.
I give the birds snacks, fruit, veggies, and cheese and even
meat. Giving them crackers today, I so wanted to lick a cracker
...ggg. I must be craving salt!
I also noticed today my tongue is getting pinker! Now that is
exciting. There is a patch way to the back which is still gruey
looking but its nowhere the shag fur carpet I had just a few days
ago. I took out my super duper magnifying mirror and checked it
out! It gives me 10X the view of the gunk and also 10X the view of
less gunk so thats what I was looking at!
I did wander out in the late afternoon to jump and bake on
the trampoline. Our kitty, Miracle, was cozied under some
bushes with her face in the sun...
The rest of the day I puttered around with my files. I
listened to some music for company and kept the lemonade
flowing. I am still on my cayenne kick and the more that
comes out one end, the more I want to drink up the
lemonade/cayenne drink.
It was another beautiful night outside and I enjoyed going
out and gazing at the stars. I know I am not alone in this
habit so I find it comforting to think that others are
contemplating our place in the universe...at the same time
I am...
It is fun to find the symbols in the night sky that people
have looked at for ages. Here is the Big Dipper...
I used to have some good binoculars which gave me *eyes*
in the night, but someone borrowed them and I have never
seen them again! waah...
I like watching planes and the sometimes unexplainable stuff,
although I am very good at spotting satellites which are more
frequently seen sailing through the night sky.
All in all, it was a great day, and I had a lot to pray
about and be thankful for as I stood under the canopy of
stars amidst the sounds of summer. I could even smell a
campfire by the pond which is in walking distance. Hee
hee hee, it made me think of marshmallows!
I am always glad too when the end is in sight of a long
project like this. I have 7 days to go and its been a good
journey, through my mental landscape, and my day to day
interaction with myself, "off food". There have been times
when just breathing through the moments of temptation was
the only thing I could do. It makes me feel very glad to
have remained true to my commitment.
Another lax tea, and snuggling in bed with my thoughts
and the warmth of my belly was nice. For some reason I did
not want to go to sleep and turned so many thoughts over
in my mind...trying to leave no stone unturned so-to-speak.
I suppose when you are having a low day and have to
reliquenish everything because there is not an ounce of
energy to even think about it, that once you feel your
sap rise, you want to gather up all those thoughts again
and infuse them with fresh enthusiasm. So that is where
I was as I lay there in the dark with the whirr of the
air-conditioning the only competition to my brain
clicking away....
I hope all my fellow fasters have a great day tomorrow
and that we all try harder to seek out the fun to be had
in our lives. Laughter is good for the soul!
be happy, be well,
Zoe