Footloose and Facebook Free

Today is the last day of the liver cleanse which I followed in this first week of 2017. It was a perfect alignment that it arrived in the mail just in time to be a "New Year's cleanse". In mid-December, I experienced several evenings with a mild, dull pain under my right rib cage. The final evening that I felt it coming on, it escalated to a full-blown gall bladder attack. My best guess is that I had a hefty gall stone that was trying to pass through a tiny duct, and it felt like a miniature taste of what childbirth may be like (am I yet to experience this). I went in and out of being able to move or speak properly because of the level of pain that came when waves of contracting organs were literally squeezing me. It was one of the times I can most relate to an out-of-body experience.

It was so unpleasant that I knew I needed a full liver detox to do my best to flush out any other unwanted toxins or tidbits. So if you're feeling like your liver needs some lovin', visit Global Healing Center's online store and order yourself up a liver cleanse kit (actually, I just went to the site and it's out of stock... a lot of liver lovin' is happening apparently...but they have a spot where you can leave your contact to be informed when it's back in stock!). It requires minimizing food intake to particular fruits and veggies (and a few nuts) for 5 days and a very structured daily routine of drinking some potions too. Oh, and a lot of toilet paper. A lot. Like, buy some shares.

I quit Facebook!  It feels sooooo good. I feel free and happy and connected to real humans more than I have in a loooong time. I am focusing more on Me and the people who are right here in my community. For those loved ones far away...we have phones. Skyping. Letters in the mail. Emails. Photo albums. In-person reunions. That's what my 2017 will be full of. This week has been loaded with many of these already. Yahoo!

I closed my Facebook account on January first. Then we decided to have a movie night, which we don't do often. We chose to watch Snowden. We knew little of what it was about. Wow. Was it ever relevant! If you aren't familiar with who Ed Snowden is, he is a former CIA agent who leaked info about the lack of privacy around our information that we all share on computers, email, social media and cell phones. It is a real eye-opener. Make it your next movie night and be ready to learn a lot. We sure did. (The government may be flagging this blog right now. *shiver* Oh well. Maybe they will learn something new by reading it?) Click here for the link to the movie trailer.

We rang in the new year with a plant medicine journey around a campfire under a starry winter sky. It was perfect and relaxed. It reminded me to have fun and take time to laugh and enjoy the simple things: the hidden bits of magic and the special souls who weave their way through our lives. 

Our lovely friend, Christine, and myself have recorded a handful of episodes of our consciousness-themed chat show that we call "Walking the Path".  Each episode, we select a topic and then press record. We completely wing it each time and it's so much fun. I am really excited to share this one with you. It's my favorite so far. They all have nuggets of good info and wisdom in them. I even feel like I learn a whole lot from them!

Speaking of wisdom, I am into a few amazing books this week. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Dr. Christiane Northrup. It's brilliant, and even though it's from 1998 it is highly relevant now (with some outdated details). She weaves together science, physiology, spirituality and reality in a beautiful way. Very vulnerable and real. 

I was recently given a vintage pocket-sized copy of The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. The first time I read this gem was in 2011. A friend offered it to me when I was wading through some very rough tides. It blew my mind and heart wide open. His poetry is magical love alchemy on paper. I can't wait to dive in again!!!

Lastly, but not least, I will re-mention the Gene Keys book and evolution system. It continues to excite me and helps me to focus on the divine essences of many people, including myself. 

www.genekeys.com  You can learn more about it, and get your free gene keys profile here.

I have been accepted into a summer yoga teacher training program in my Pennsylvanian hometown, at the Himalayan Institute. I am so excited for this opportunity!!!  It's been a long time coming (13 years to be exact). Ommmmm sweet Ommmmmm. 

Ps. This is a must see clip - partly humorous... but mostly how I see social media. Thanks friend, for passing this along!

From the Inside, Out.

2014 is off to a leisurely start for the two of us. Lots of trail hikes through the lush forests of Vancouver Island, playing with friends' kiddos and lots and lots of time for reflection and contemplation. 

After our two-month "road food" road trip we ordered a liver cleanse kit for us to clean out our systems. They finally arrived last weekend. We noted our completely blank schedules and decided there was no time like the present to start a new year off with a clean slate!

Let's step back to July for a moment... I had a great phone call with my mother-in-law (she's really more like a dear friend) and she had just completed the first of three of these liver cleanses. She had such good things to say about it. I was feeling a little "off", so I did one then too. It was a stretch for me, as I had never done any cleanse for 6 days before. Afterward, I felt amazing. I felt lighter and happier and more like myself. Not to mention, my liver was probably pretty happy. Bonus: my jeans fit better. 

So, back to the present. We just completed the 6th, and final, day of the cleanse and this time around I felt compelled to document the experiences I / we had through the process. 

In addition to the liver tonic and supplements, this cleanse involves eating only certain fruits for breakfast, and a salad or simple veggie soup for lunch and dinner. This was all fine for us, since we eat a very clean vegan diet. The hard part was no snacking.  We were both a bit on the grumpy side later the first day. When we realized it, we had a good laugh. What a great opportunity to observe our habits. How many of us snack because we are stressed or pressured or anxious? It happens to the best of us. 

Interestingly enough, the weather was extremely rainy all week, so we spent most of the cleanse cooped up in the moHo reading and resting. We didn't feel like we were missing out on chances to hike.

By day 3 we were both feeling a bit of muscular weakness and we were also on the tired side. A big change from how we were feeling on our daily hikes down forest trails that we enjoyed for the last few weeks. We both found that we were restless in the middle of the night several nights. The massive down pours of rain on the moHo roof didn't help us to rest. 

Something about cleansing and having the discipline to be hungry and not botch the cleanse by snacking, creates a state of raised consciousness and body awareness that clears the mind and spirit. We both had moments that we described as "out of body". Moments where we rose beyond physical discomfort and remembered that we are not our bodies. We just reside in our bodies. Since I only get one body in this lifetime, I choose to nourish it daily. 

On the afternoon of day 5, I got a humongous headache. It was the worst headache I have had in years. I must have accumulated a fair amount of toxins throughout our travels. Certain smells made it much worse and sounds and movements were painful. I took a nap for a while and was thrilled to find that it disappeared when I awoke. I was so glad because the night of the 5th day was a crucial time to finish taking the final ingredients to complete the liver flush. I didn't want to get this far and then not complete the cleanse. 

Both times I have done this cleanse, I had the same physical symptoms on the final night. A bit like a flu. But just a one-hour flu. I barely slept much. My abdomen was grumbly and the rain was so loud that it sounded like we were parked under a waterfall. 

However, I woke this morning (day 6) feeling wonderful. My mind and body feel clearer. I feel refreshed. Once again, my jeans fit better. 

We are both so glad that we took the week to cleanse our bodies...and minds and spirits.

Another positive side-effect: 

We both agreed that after a week-long coffee detox, we are better off without the black magic in a mug. Sure, it's tasty, and everyone's doing it. It is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world. We just don't want to wake up and rely on coffee to give us a jump start every morning. Our love for life is enough to get us out of bed each day. Coffee can be for special occasions.

If you are interested in reading more about the cleanse itself, here is a link.  It describes the products, the cleanse process and much more:

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/liver-cleanse-kit.html