master cleanse

My father in law is very ill in a nursing home now with Colon Cancer, emphysema, chronic heart disease and overall malaise and depression. The PT people came in to give him rehab over the weekend and he was resistant. He doesn't want to do it. He doesn't want to get out of bed really. We went in on Sunday and brought the whole group and took turns going in and out and walking around talking with the elderly people there in the nursing home. Most of the people that we ran in to were suffering from all sorts of stages of dementia and Alzheimers and they were just happy to see us and well, happy to be eating and alive I am sure. Ignorance is bliss. My father in law knows where he is. He understands what this could mean for him. He has never lived anywhere but his own home and now he is here.
Watching my father in law has sparked this new fervor in me regarding my own health and the health of my husband and children. I recognize that these things run in families and I want to grow old with my husband and not be a huge bummer for my kids to have to take care of and to worry about all the time. Also I worry incessantly about Gary's weight. I gave up drinking alcohol about three months ago and so I decided to really seal the deal by doing the Master Cleanse (http://therawfoodsite.com/mastercleanse.htm) It's pretty extreme and most of the people in my life think I am crazy for doing it but some of my good friends that are in to food and nutrition have been exceptionally supportive and helpful in my adventure to be healthy and energized. Also I was secretly hoping that Gary would see how good it was for me and join. So the first five days were pretty much miserable, I was exhausted and crabby and weak and at one point spent the morning in the bathroom throwing up. What I can say is that I held on to the notion that this was my body's way of ridding itself of the toxins that had come to live in my body and that this was going to all be ok.
It was ok.
Our bodies are such amazing vehicles really. I can't believe that my body was able to run on a lemonade concoction for 10 days but it did and in a lot of ways it ran much better.
What I can say now that I have hit day 10 is that I have come to realize a lot about myself through this process. First of all I have been drinking coffee for 25 years at least with no breaks. I loved coffee, looked forward to it in the morning, associated it with all things good such as long discussions with friends and early morning walks. Coffee was actually not helping me in any way whatsoever. It was making me tired and nutty and anxious and a little crazy. So I am relieved to be rid of it. For the last 6 days I have been feeling really peaceful internally and pensive. I have a lot more time on my hands with out the continuous what am I going to eat next thing going on and I feel empty and full at the same time.
Throughout the next week I will begin to come off of this fast, starting with fresh juice tomorrow and then a veggie soup for a few days following. I am excited to start to plan healthier meals without sugar and to move forward in health.
I realize watching Grampa John and Grampa B and their illnesses how precious life and health are, how quickly these gifts can be taken from us. I also realized how important it is to teach my children about health, farming, agriculture and self sufficiency. For a long time I have bawked this in the name of unschooling. I can no longer do that. Both of these grampies learned to eat and to treat their bodies the ways that they did from their first source, their first homes.
Gary finally did join the fun and he is on day 3. Poor Gary just loves food so much and with all that he is going through it is hard for him to not jump in to food for consolation. He is trudging through though. It is hard to not feel the need after a visit with his dad. I am hopeful that our new eating habits will stick with him and help him to be even more amazing than he already is.