"When you know better, you do better."

In training yesterday, Jesse shared a story about his grandfather, who many years ago, was a missionary in Japan. Having all but disappeared in our current-day global experience, missionary barrels were prevalent throughout the mid 1900's and earlier.

He told of huge cargo barrels his grandparents periodically received, sent from caring church members back in the United States. Traveling by ship, the barrels took approximately six months to reach their destination. Among other items, they were filled with multiple canned goods. As the story is told, on their journey through the Panama Canal, high humidity often caused the labels to break down and fall away, making one can indistinguishable from the next.  


In the story, Jesse's grandparents opened a can for dinner, only to be surprised by the contents.  Having lived through the depression, they certainly would not waste food, so their meal each night was whatever they happened to open. His grandfather confessed however, after a particularly long stretch of canned beets for dinner, one evening he finally had to say no. He could not eat another canned beet!


My parents, missionaries to the eastern bloc countries under communism in the 1970's, fared well with their "missionary barrels." By then, barrels had become boxes shipped by air. Because European food was familiar and desirable to both of them, there was no need for multiple canned goods to be shipped. 

Mary Ruth and Chester Gretz 1971

The care packages were filled with familiar American items mother missed, but could have done without--Bisquick, Jiffy Corn Muffin mixes, Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, baggies, paperback books, her favorite magazines and other cooking & baking products.  


A stand-out was the stack of "Canandaigua Daily Messengers,"-- their hometown local newspaper. Father smiled as he caught up on each story filled with names he recognized. He read aloud news of their friends, as mother delightedly arranged and stored her goodies in the European cabinets. My brother, a teenager at the time, went off to read the issue of "Sports Illustrated," packed just for him, though I'm quite certain he never received the swimsuit issue.


Like the barrels, missions in general have evolved over time. So many types of missions exist today. For instance, I have a friend who heads a mission which owns helicopters in the U.S. and Europe. They fly anywhere in the world there is a need, offering humanitarian aide as well as spiritual comfort and good news.  


Another, lives in the hills of a small Indian town raising her daughter alone since her husband passed away several years ago.  She simply befriends girls and women she comes in contact with wherever she goes, as she totally lives the lifestyle of her village neighbors--including sometimes walking treacherous rocky hills for miles to retrieve her water. 


As Jesse and I talked about his grandparents' canned goods story, we thought of how the Japanese diet, rich in fresh vegetables and fish perhaps could have been a healthy alternative. When my parents moved to a new continent, they had old habits flown across the ocean to them.  


Father did always love to garden and I'm grateful for all the fresh vegetables his gardens provided. In Europe, just as she had in East Bloomfield, NY, mother served his fresh vegetables for dinner all summer long. However, cucumbers were bathed in a yummy mayonnaise /vinegar /sugar dressing, and every vegetable was slathered in butter. An extraordinary baker, sugary desserts were always plentiful too. 


Most of my life I continued to eat and serve what I knew, which was processed foods, canned, quick, easy, white flour/bread/rice/pasta, nitrate-filled lunch meats and hot dogs, sugar, sugar, sugar, butter, butter, butter. The norm--what I knew.


Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better."


Today I absolutely love my new breakfast shake of frozen banana & blueberries, cherries, almond butter, brown rice protein powder (no taste), ground flax seeds, borage & flax seed oil, water and ice. It takes me less than five minutes to prepare.


I'm learning to taste each vegetable instead of butter, and to prepare fish in various healthy, delicious ways. For the first time, I'm not growing herbs simply for their aroma and beauty--I use fresh herbs in cooking each day.

I'm ready to spring into more 
new learning experiences, 
to know 
how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Happiness In The Midst Of Change

Asked by friends, "So, how is the detox going?" ...the answer is complicated.  Part of the day I'm energized, almost to an electric buzz level.  Other times I'm slightly uncomfortable, edgy. Then after the prescribed Ultra Bath each night, I feel fantastic again. Some meals leave me completely stuffed, while others, so very hungry! 

I have a good workout with my trainer this morning, but catch a look at my face near the end--how in the world could it be so red! Jesse says it was actually glowing like I'd been in the sun when I first arrived for our session.  Concerned, I check my blood pressure only to discover it's perfect.

Everything in this seven day prescribed plan is new or different for my body to absorb, adjust to, and benefit from.  That's to be expected if my goal is to attack inflammation, boost my metabolism and immune system, rid my system of toxins and move into providing my body with proper replacements.

This is change, which can have moments of elation at new possibilities, times of disappointment over losing the familiar, and confusion as to exactly what's happening. Eventually we learn our way-- in a new job, location, home, economy, relationship, or health routine. We adjust, discovering how we fit in and where our efforts can best be placed.  We realize over time, even though the change may have been unwelcome at first, it can turn out to be very good for us after all.   

Our responsibility is to choose to see the positive while remaining grateful...not always easy, but it is a choice.  I recently read that ...happiness is 10% actual experiences and 90% is how you perceive those experiences. Setting goals each day and achieving them definitely benefits one's perception of the day!

While my body decides what it should do with these changes -- straight lemon juice with olive oil, probiotics, liver detox-supportive herbs, flax seed, borage oil, magnesium citrate,  two cups of steamed vegetables at lunch and dinner, vegetable broth with seaweed, no sugar/wheat/dairy/eggs/caffeine/alcohol, and more-- my job is to remain utterly convinced this is a great experience.  I'm certain such good changes are taking place that  I will benefit enormously going forward to the next level in my fitness goals and stair climbing.

At the end of the day after that Ultra Bath I mentioned (hot as one can stand it, with 2 c. Epsom salts, 1 c. baking soda and 10 drops lavender essential oil) I know I met my goals for the day.

I'm happy.

...and I choose to believe that red face this morning was the sign of healthy skin coming through...step by step, I'll get there.

~~~~~

No butter!  Still tasted good though.

Being Yourself, the Best Miracle

I recently viewed a video about the making of  "The 41st Day,"  a documentary following Ryan Hall this year as he prepares for the Olympics, up through the day he competes as an Olympic marathoner.  Inspired by the film's explanation for its title, I immediately checked the calendar to see exactly how many days I had before the Willis Tower stair climb on November 4th.

In the video Ryan explains that the documentary title arose from a conversation he and the producer had after Ryan read him the Bible story of David and Goliath.  This caught my attention.  It's quite rare to hear the sentence Ryan spoke to the producer in the video, "Remember that night when we were sitting around and I was reading you the story of David and Goliath?"

A quick summary:
In the story, two armies face each other, ready for battle on opposite sides of a steep valley. The Philistine, Goliath, referred to as a giant (over 9 ft. tall) in full armor, came out each day for forty days and taunted the Israelites--mocking and challenging them to fight. This evidently inspired great fear.  However, when David was sent to the front lines by his father, to find news of his older brothers, he heard Goliath's defiance and immediately began to persuade King Saul to let him fight the giant.  On the 41st day David approached Goliath, unarmed except for his slingshot. "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty..." One of his stones found a hole in Goliath's armor (forehead?) and he fell to the ground as David moved in for the kill. The Philistines retreated and became easy targets for the Israelite army. 

I divided the days between watching Ryan's video and my participation in the Willis Tower stair climb into three, forty-one day periods.  In order to reach the goals I set for each of the three "41 day" periods, my plan is to walk each day in confidence toward the goals, rather than languish in fear.  I could look back upon my past and define so many moments as inactive because of one fear or another.  That is over.  

Maybe it took me longer to get to the front lines.  But I'm there now, I've observed the giant, and I'm ready to fight.  As uncharacteristic as it is, for me to use army/battle/fighting analogies, it definitely works for my current inspiration.  

I close with an online commentary's summary:

• David chose not to wear the King's armor because it felt cumbersome and unfamiliar. David was comfortable with his simple slingshot, a weapon he was skilled at using. God will use the unique skills he's already placed in your hands, so don't worry about "wearing the King's armor." Just be yourself and use the familiar gifts and talents God has given you. He will work miracles through you.

My fight is not with a sword, or even a slingshot, but rather with honesty, creativity, hard work, compassion, dedication, and the desire to walk in love and joy, not in fear.

~~~~~~

Second day of detox...still not used to all the straight fresh lemon juice!  Enjoying the Ultra Shake...blueberries and banana today instead of strawberries, along with the almond butter, ground flax seed, borage oil and protein powder (recipe on yesterday's blog.)

Climbed stairs yesterday and today...whoa, the heat at the top on the last two floors--yikes, sucking very hot air!  Each day increasing the amount of floors I can double-step. Yes!

So many vegetables!  A friend shared that the reason I'm so very full on this simple, healthy diet, is that my metabolism isn't working properly.  The good news is, that's what this diet is for--to boost it!




Lunch - 1/2 c. brown rice & 2 c. vegetables.
Supper - same, but add organic chicken breast or fish.

Preparation - Birth To This Season

In preparation for November 4th's stair climb at Willis Tower, I created a series of goals I will meet in three 40-day increments.

Willis?  "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?!"  The Sear's Tower, which has been re-named the Willis Tower,  is the skyscraper my husband climbed the morning after our first child was born.   Actually he took the elevator, but it was still pretty cool...

October 3rd, 1977 Matt is born at 11:00 p.m., followed by the usual hustle-about, elated phone calls, and precious moments. Finally settled in my Michael Reese Hospital room, wide awake for the night, I watch the sunrise through the huge picture window overlooking Lake Michigan.  Such beautiful new energy welcoming our son into the world! Kissing Harold goodbye, he's off to tend the day's obligations, till a lunchtime return.   I discover every "first" moment with our son--first sounds, moves, touches, smells, and first time singing my homemade lullaby to his soft tiny face looking up from my arms. Little do I know, Harold is looking out over the city of Chicago from the 103rd floor of the Sear's Tower.

"Roots" aired that January on television and Harold is thinking of the scene where Omor holds his newborn son up to the sky and proclaims, "Kunta Kinte - Behold the only thing greater than yourself!"

He wants to be as close to the sky as possible and realizes the Sear's Tower is the way to get there.  From the very top, Harold looks up to the sky and declares, "I have a son! I have a son!"

If the only way to reach the 103rd floor that day had been the stairs, he would have run them!

...the time it took for this reminiscence distracted my mind from the Ultra Shake I'm drinking.  I felt like a lab scientist making it, so was doubtful this drink with oils, powders and seeds could taste good.

After the first few sips, it grew on me.  By the end, I enjoyed it!

More tomorrow about my first 40 day goals...and why 40 days.  Today however, I embark on the first of a seven-day detox and replacement therapy--from Mark Hyman, M.D.

Big shopping day yesterday
gathering everything I need!

For breakfast every day,
and afternoon snack if hungry.
I use frozen blueberries--yum! 
Ice is optional...
it's smoother without the ice.

Ultra Broth

3 quarts water

1 large chopped onion

2 sliced carrots

1 cup of daikon or white radish root and tops (ideal, but optional)

1 c. of winter squash cut into large cubes (like acorn)

1 cup of root vegetables:  turnips, parsnips, and rutabagas for sweetness

2 cups of chopped greens:  kale, parsley, beet greens, collard greens, chard, dandelion, cilantro, or other greens

2 celery stalks

1/2cup of seaweed:  nori, dulse, wakame, kelp, or kombu

½ cup of cabbage

4  ½-inch slices of fresh ginger

2 cloves of whole garlic (not chopped or crushed)

Sea salt to taste

If available, you can add 1 cup of fresh or dried shiitake or maitake mushrooms.

Add all ingredients at once and place on a low boil for 60 minutes or longer to desired taste.  Cool, strain (throw away the cooked vegetables) and store in a large, tightly sealed glass container in the fridge.

Heat gently and drink at least 3 – 4 cups a day.

--from “The UltraSimple Diet, Kickstart Your Metabolism…in 7 Days” by Mark Hyman, M.D.

~~~~~~~

It feels good to be cooking with so many fresh vegetables.
However, the seaweed?
Not used to it in my soup.
I think it's an acquired taste, which I suppose I'll acquire
since it's on the menu every day this week!

Each of these seven days will start with drinking the juice of half a lemon in 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, followed by 20 - 60 minutes of Yoga, at least 30 minutes of writing, and then the juice of the other half of the lemon with hot water.  Next, a cup of green tea, and finally the Ultra Shake for breakfast.

If my final goal is to climb the Willis/Sears Tower on November 4th with a different body than the one I climbed with last season, I believe this is a great way to start the change! 

 

This will be my highest climb ever,

and I've been told the steps are steep.