Oh thank the LORD for sleep.
So sweet AG has a cold, and this one seems to have hit her a bit harder than others, just as it relates to sleep. Despite beginning her days here on the planet in a colicky nightmare, the girl is a champion sleeper. So when she’s sick or teething or whatever, and struggles a bit, I don’t give it all much thought. Typically she settles down. Not this time. But, we only had one little crying fit last night, around 9 p.m., and after some cuddling she went back to sleep.
I followed soon after. All I’d wanted for the past two days was to sleep the pain and aches away, and it was the last thing I was able to do. Last night I got a solid seven hours of sleep, aside from having to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and am going to shoot for eight or nine tonight, God-willing and the creek don’t rise.
Yesterday was absolutely fine, though I had a lunch date I didn’t want to cancel and it meant improvising. The Day 2 meal was a “Greek” chicken salad, so I played it safe and ordered with house salad with nothing on it but the accompanying vegetables and a vinaigrette. I decided to give myself the pass for going slightly rogue on the meal plan, especially after the night before. Yesterday’s dinner though?
Heaven.
And, well, yeah, not “heaven” as in “stupendously-awesome-food” heaven, but black beans and rice tacos with salsa and guacamole is one of my favorite meals anyway and so it was nice to have something simultaneously comforting and satiating, healthy and on-plan. As I prepped last night dinner, I made the lentil-lime salad and baked tempeh for today.
It was all way, way more cooking than I wanted to be doing.
I thought about the logistics of incorporating “this kind of eating” into my life, just as that sort of conversation takes place among people who try new diets/ways of eating. After all, if I ultimately feel better after trying this approach, it certainly behooves me to adopt it in some fashion.
I enjoy cooking, but I don’t enjoy the regimentation of this plan. Adhering to something this strict, with this many steps and bells and whistles, seems encumbering and stressful and doesn’t have a place in my life. On the other hand, there has to be some middle ground. One place I’m already noticing is that with the pretty extreme reaction I had on Monday, and my knowledge of just how much chocolate and whatnot I indulge in, it’s clear I snack on way too much junk, all day long.
I snack while I’m getting AG’s dinner ready, our dinner ready, as soon as I walk in the door, mid-afternoon…
The pattern, of course, is late-in-the-day snacking. So while I may not be able to adhere to strict vegetarian/vegan meals for every meal, the least I can do is knock out all of the crazy handfuls of whatever I pop into my piehole. Not grabbing a handful of something has been the absolute hardest thing these past two days.
And, like the newborn stage, right now it feels like I’ve been doing this for forever.
A quick note on the Alkaline supplement: there is a whole lot of talk among folks who do the reset about how gross it is, and though it’s not a treat by any measure, it turned out to be a superfoods-type powder and so if you’re familiar with such things, this won’t be a mystery to you. I really like superfoods drinks, and have one every day anyway, so this wasn’t a huge change up. It isn’t one I’d stick with – like I said, not a treat – but it’s palatable if you also toss some ice into the drink and make it super-cold. The ice also helps to break up the powder.
Owing to the full night of sleep I got last night, I was able to wake up today with no problems to do Day Two of the meditation series. I’ve nothing to comment on this for the moment, other than I’m glad I’m taking the lousy 10 minutes of the morning to just sit and breath and challenge myself to chill the hell out before beginning my day.
My throat is sore this morning, and I have no idea if it’s me catching AG’s cold or more detox effect, but it made deep breathing a challenge. Hard to get mellow when you have what may be the harbinger of doom looming in the back of your throat.
I hate colds and I am a baby.
Tonight is vegetable sushi and miso soup. I could not be more excited about finally trying something like this at home. I even bought a little mat and spoon.
