I love to go grocery shopping. I must have inherited that from my Mom because she loved to shop for groceries, too. I try to find the best things available in our little town so I can afford to eat all raw. Today I spent about $75.00 at Walmart, Cranford's and Village Nutrition. It will mostly get us through the week. We also split a case of Bubbies sauerkraut Karl picked up for us at Whole Foods in Little Rock. That was about $36.00 for 12 jars which will last us about three months.
What is the food God has blessed us with? I eat fresh, raw, ripe, whole fruits and vegetables. That's how I thrive! That's my lifestyle....my hobby. The more raw food or plant food the better.
I am trying to manage my time better, buy not trying to work on everything on my list everyday. I never can get it all done anyway. So I am setting aside larger chunks of time to work on one thing. I am giving myself some breathing room. What I get to is great, and what I don't get to, that's okay, too. Every day is a gift. The present. Just take the next step. That's all I can do.
We finished the cleanse with the Blissful Herbs colon cleanse with ginger. The last day was hard, but the day we ended the cleanse, I was not hungry at all. Maybe it did some good, but I don't plan to do another one. Next time I will just do bananas for a week. That will probably do as much good and will be a lot cheaper.
I won an Ebay auction on a lot of five raw foods books on Ebay for $20.00 with free shipping!. I am so excited. I am getting RAWvoultion by Matt Amsden, Get Naked Fast by Diana Stobo, Sexy, Raw by Carol Alt, The Live-it Lifestyle - Dropping Diets Forever by Ronnie Landis, and Survival in the 21st century by Viktoras Kulvinski.
Late Breakfast: Watermelon
Lunch: Green smoothie (kale, bananas, papaya, dates, strawberries, and coconut water); Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Dinner: Salad (bag of romaine salad, mushrooms, green onions, two big juicy tomatoes, pepper); Orange/Mango Dressing; sauerkraut; green olives, Bubbies Kosher Dill Pickles
Dinner was salad with Orange Mango Dressing. |
Juice from 1 orange
1 big mango (very good mango from Cranfords for $.39!)
1/4 of a large bell pepper
1 Tbsp of Original Mrs. Dash
Blend all in the Nutri-Bullet or blender and serve.
Most people go through life with a sense of loneliness. No one is immune to this feeling whether you are introverted or extroverted because it has nothing to do with how many people you are around. You can be lonely in a crowd. When we are not in close contact with people who think like we do, it causes loneliness.
Since none of us agree on everything, we all are lonely to one degree or another.
When we begin to practice the simple, natural lifestyle, we are sure to feel lonely at times. In a way, that is a good thing, because it can strengthen our resolve to go against the grain and embrace the role of a non-conformist. Loneliness helps to make us more compassionate for the poor, the weak, and the so-called worthless. It makes us less judgmental as we can see the cards are stacked against all of us.
Living the simple, natural lifestyle is a long-term endeavor. To succeed, we have to be a non-conformist because it requires we live in opposition to many of the accepted behaviors of the people around us, even our closest family and friends. So we come to terms with the feeling of loneliness. There are not very many (or any) in my town that live exactly the way I do, although there are some that understand this lifestyle and are supportive. Even though we practice in different ways, there is enough common ground to form a community. The phone, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are wonderful tools. I love to visit and have visits from people that will share raw foods with me. Our raw food group here in Hot Springs Village is such a blessing. We don't have to be completely socially isolated. We can look for people that seem to be aware of these things and seek them out.
I read an Arkansas Times article about five Arkansans living off the grid in Northwest Arkansas. I wish I could find a way to connect with them. Two are on Facebook, so I sent them messages and friend requests. Owen Rein in Mountain View makes rocking chairs. Sage Holland lives at Fox, AR with her husband, Tom. I have been wanting to visit Meadow Creek at Fox, AR for some time.
Being committed to the lifestyle gives us the opportunity to help interested people learn about how we see life and practice a healthy lifestyle. It really does take moral courage to do what not many other people are doing. I love this lifestyle, and the better I live it the more joy I get from it. I embrace the loneliness that comes with it as well as the love and camaraderie that shows up when we need it most.
Pay attention to the beauty around us even though many things are not ideal. We can still live with heart and courage. We have a truth to tell and a life to live. Basically, we are in the life experience alone. We help each other when we can, but still the journey is ours and we have to walk it out for our self. No one can do it for us.
My friend, Erika, brought these tomatoes to me today. She bought a box at the market and I bought 4 lbs from her. They are so good. |
To health and happiness.
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