Today finds me home alone, with the big boys at school and everybody else in Oxford. Mr. Incredible and Elasti-girl are meeting friends from the States who are visiting and will be in the area just for today. These are folks who are from the church where our son-in-law served for nine years and who have been there throughout the years of infertility, adoption, and are right now meeting our miracle boy, Baby G. What a joy! I could have gone along, but opted for a self-imposed time out. The days have been full and while there is a part of me that doesn't want to miss a second, there is the other older and wiser me who knows some down time would be a smart way to spend today. I've not slept well since arriving and am seriously contemplating a nap.
And so here I am., on the couch with pillows and the heating pad nursing a sore back and surfing the net for recipes as life is going to take a radical turn when I get home. Here's why...
I have described myself as "halfway to becoming a whole foods convert" for a good long while, ever since Flyboy was diagnosed with cancer the second time and I started reading more about the health benefits of whole foods. You either eat whole foods or you don't (like you can't be halfway pregnant) and while I've toyed with the idea, I've not quite been able to take the plunge.
Three events have gotten me to the point where I am ready to make this happen. Last fall, we met my parents and siblings in Tulsa for a long weekend and I was amazed to see the change in my sister-in-law, who has been a long time vegan, but has recently cut out fat and gone to whole foods. She looked absolutely amazing and feels better than she has in years, even though she struggles with several complicated health issues. She is a tremendous encouragement to me and is cheering me on.
Second, I came across "The Daniel Plan", created by three doctors and adopted by Saddleback Church for a year-long campaign of improved health, recognizing that our physical health is something we too easily ignore. It makes a lot of sense to me, and I have long felt that we are beings with souls and spirits and BODIES and we somehow feel it is spiritual to nurture our souls and spirits but abuse our bodies, either by mistreating it or by neglect. My body certainly needs some serious attention. I decided I was ready to do this thing and will begin after returning home.
Finally, the weekend before I left for England, Flyboy and I went out to breakfast at the Machine Shed, ate like pigs and paid for it. We talked about the food we had eaten (high fat, high sugar) - particularly the 9 x 9 cinnamon roll we shared. Flyboy sat down in front of the TV to soak an infected toe. He flipped on PBS and who should be talking but Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the consultants on The Daniel Plan project. He has recently written a book called "The Blood Sugar Solution", and explained the science of diabetes and the fact that with a whole foods diet, it CAN be reversed. Flyboy listened to the whole thing and decided to join me on this adventure when I get home from England. What a gift to be able to do this together - I feel very blessed.
So - besides being quiet, I am creating a collection of recipes and ultimately want to have two weeks of recipes and a shopping list before I go home. Organization is important in any new endeavor, especially in learning a whole new way of viewing food. Flyboy is at home trying to cut back on the processed sugar and eat better in general and I gave up dairy for lent. We are both aware what a change this is going to be for us and how hard it will be to implement, so we're taking baby steps.
The Incredibles are home! Time to play with some boys...
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