Today I decided not to continue eating exclusively raw.  Terry was initially disappointed and has decided to continue the experiment without me because he loves a "challenge!"  What I realized for myself, though, is that I am not disappointed and that I don't need to view what or how I eat as a challenge (even though I am the one who proposed this in the first place!)

I am appreciating my own ability to change my mind according to what feels right at any given moment.  Or as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essays on Self Reliance:  "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

I realize also that I started this arbitrary month-long experiment to fully celebrate raw foods because I love them!  So my love for raw remains but I also can appreciate cooked foods.  For today, I will be adding back in organic brown eggs and steamed collard greens.  And each day from here I will mix and match fresh with cooked--hopefully with an increased awareness of the properties of both.

Thus concludes Raw August.

An inspired Daily Word meditation that I started my day with:
Free

I am free to choose how I create my day.
As I awaken each morning, I have a choice to make. How will I approach this God-given day? Will I begin by appreciating the freshness of a new day or by agonizing over my to-do list? When I remember that I am free to choose how I think, I consciously decide to not spend my precious energy in self-defeating ways.

God has blessed me with freedom. I choose today to make conscious choices about my health, my habits and my attitude. As I do, I feel energized. I have a sense of purpose. I feel renewed, creative and ready to do what is mine to do. Whatever situations or circumstances I face today, I know I am never alone. God is with me, "and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!"

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.--2 Corinthians 3:17


Extra yummy sushi roll recipe:
2/3 of a cup of sunflower seeds, 10 sundried tomatoes that have been soaked and rehydrated, dash of olive oil, 2 green onions chopped, one clove garlic, one inch of ginger, water from soaking liquid, 1/2 tsp miso, 2 Tbl nutritional yeast.  Food process until thoroughly mixed into a creamy pate.
Filling:  Make a slaw out of Napa cabbage, grated carrots, green onions, lime juice, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper.
Place avocado slices into the middle and roll into sushi.  Garnish with pickled ginger.

Yesterday's experience at Tanglewood was extraordinary in so many ways, but what I want to comment on is how eating raw foods greatly enhanced my experience.  As we sat down to enjoy a picnic dinner with our friends, I was aware of all the classically delicious food that I was saying no to; such as crusty bread, goat cheese, French potato salad, wine, etc.  I only partook of a watermelon and fresh mint fruit salad that I brought along with a bite or two of avocado, tri-colored baby carrots, and honeydew melon with blueberries.

It occurred to me then how I was practicing a form of fasting because I was not indulging in everything that was placed before me.  What is so amazing, though, is that by closing the doors to cooked foods, I am opening other internal doors.

Everything appeared to be so much more vibrant!  For example, I was nearly overwhelmed by the beauty of the green honeydew melon with the blue of the blueberries.  It was as if I was looking at the world through the eyes of an impressionist painter.  And instead of just listening to the music, the music seemed to strike at my heartstrings and stir my soul in a way that felt like the music was playing me.

Today we are packing up a raw foods picnic and will noursih our bodies and our souls with this music:

The celebrated Silk Road Ensemble and the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma return to Tanglewood in an extraordinary presentation marking their 10th anniversary.  Featuring virtuoso musicians from around the globe, the Ensemble will perform a special program that reflects the diversity of its membership, combining styles and genres (Persian, Asian, Azerbaijani, and more) with Western and non-Western instruments to create a musical experience that defies classification and transcends cultural boundaries.

From The Heart of Yoga: Developing A Personal Practice by T.K.V. Desikachar:

"There are many definitions of yoga...

• yoga as the movement from one point to another, higher one
• yoga as the bringing together, the unifying of two things
• yoga as action with undivided, uninterrupted attention

These definitions of yoga have one thing in common: the idea that something changes. This change must bring us to a point where we have never been before. That is to say, that which is impossible becomes possible; that which was unattainable becomes attainable; that which was invisible can be seen."

Raw Lasagna

I've been contemplating notions of freedom lately.  I think our culturally accepted ideal of freedom is the freedom to do or say whatever we want.  For example, our prized freedom of speech.  It implies a lack of censorship or restriction.  But I've been contemplating the idea of freedom within restriction.

Natural laws, such as gravity, are prime examples of restriction.  And yet, when we accept and harmonize with these laws, don't we find a truer freedom?

I know that the word addiction comes from the Roman word "addict," which is a word for "one who is chained and shackled."  It's ironic that smoking, or drinking, or drug use usually starts with a desire for greater freedom.

In a similar vein, I'm wondering about all the ways I may be shackling myself through bad habits:  Habits of thought.  Habits of movement.  Habits of living.  To be habituated, itself, is a form of shackling.  On the other hand, habits are beautiful time-saving shortcuts in our mind, so that we don't have to constantly revisit or relearn every activity.  Therefore, to consciously create habits that will liberate is my new goal.

It's thrilling to notice all the subtle but positive changes that are taking place within me.  These all seem to be happening on the energetic and vibrational realm.  It's as though I am feeling more and more AWAKE.

Nature's Bounty

Yesterday our raw vegan sushi was off the charts delicious!  I made a cashew and red pepper pâté for the filling and added pea shoots, red pepper, and avocado.  It actually tasted better than cooked rice.  What a nice surprise to find out that what we've been giving up isn't even as good as what we're inviting in.

This prompts me to contemplate what else I may be afraid of giving up?  I think I may reconsider my life in the light of allowing myself to be pleasantly surprised.

Last night I spoke with a friend who is just finishing up a book about Peak Experiences.  It's called "Take It From the Top:  How Peak Experiences Can Enrich Our Lives".  It reminded me of how wonderful it is to be in the zone of doing something we love.  So I allowed myself to stay up into the wee, small hours of the night making a homemade book for my two sweet, little grand-daughters.  Time seemed to fly by as I rode on a magic carpet of allowing.

I didn't have to think "up" any ideas for the book but only "bring them down" into manifestation.  I learned this idea of direction in creativity from Julia Cameron in her book "The Artist's Way."  When we "take it from the top" we can tap into an Infinite Supply of ideas, inspiration, energy and wellbeing.  As another one of my writer friends wrote, "Why Not Do What You Love?"

I have been learning the art of sushi making.  I've come to understand that you use the bamboo mat for rolling the sushi so the pressure of your fingers doesn't tear the delicate nori wrappers.  It's ingenious the way the bamboo distributes the pressure evenly.

We've treated ourselves to beautiful new sushi plates and the whole experience is becoming a ritual that perfectly nourishes our selves on all levels.  It's definitely an example that less can be more.

Day 2 of our raw food adventure started with an email from a friend who wrote to say that she was reading and "savoring" my book.  Suddenly the word savoring seemed to jump off the page and envelop me.  How lovely to savor all of life's experiences.

I am reminded of an idea I learned through a teleseminar from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  They promote the idea of both bio-individuality (that each person needs to figure out the right food choices for themselves) and the idea of "primary food" (which they call love.)  I love that they recognize that love is what feeds us the best!

Also in my Daily Word meditation from the Unity Church, they explored the idea that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  They encouraged us to stop and notice the word "behold."  And I had never taken the time to notice that word before.  It's quite remarkable.  Today I will consciously be a beholder of love and beauty and savor it all.  I will take my nourishment not only from the sweet and simple food choices I will be making but also from the rich deliciousness of life itself.

I'm grateful to be beginning this journey on a Sunday.  I can embrace the sacredness.  Today started with a ring of the doorbell before I was even dressed or fully awake.  It was our favorite 80-year-old neighbor bringing us a harvest of tomatoes.  I received it like mana from heaven.  His tomatoes are special because they are grown with his own saved seeds.  They are the only tomatoes in the Valley to resist the tomato blight last year.

There seems to be a message in this for me from the Universe:  Find reverence in your food.  Find the sacred.  Find the beauty.  And what could be more beautiful that a red, ripe, home-grown tomato that has been hand delivered with love from a neighbor?

Already our plan has been modified.  After reading through some of the recipes I longed to make, I saw that most of them needed a food dehydrator.  For now, that seems like partial cooking and too much preparation so we're stripping the plan down to make just a simple salad in lieu of an entree each day.  I realize, also, that creating a new recipe every day would be fun for me but a whole other concentration in itself.  So suddenly just eating raw—without all the food prep—seems so much easier.  Most of the work has been taken out of it.

I think this is a key that I am interested in discovering, too.  Ease.  Ease of preparation.  Ease of relationship to our food.  It would make sense that I would come into this adventure carrying expectations of it being a gourmet culinary experience, because I have been hyped up to believe that a perfect tomato isn't enough.  So I will consciously lay down some of my preconceived ideas and open myself to really seeing and tasting and reveling and delighting in a tomato just as it is.  And isn't food really always a gift from God?  Isn't it always communion?

Today, the plan takes shape.  We will be enjoying a green smoothie each morning.  For lunch we will explore, discover, and enjoy the art of raw vegan sushi making from Renee Loux's book "Living Cuisine:  The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods."  In the mid- to late-afternoon, I will endeavor to make a new raw food entree each day like Julie from the movie "Julie and Julia."  Each evening we will savor a raw dessert.

Within this plan, I already feel familiarity, structure, predictability, creativity, possibility, playfulness, and joy!  I will hold the yogic concentration of both sthira (steady alertness) and sukha (lightness and ease).  I know the Sanskrit word for asana means "to stay", "to be", "to sit", or "to be established in a particular position."  I will "be" in the limitation of the commitment to eat only living foods, but I will open myself to its vast potential.

The countdown to being "fully raw" continues and my transition is going beautifully.  I woke up and was immediately and powerfully drawn to eating raw.  This is not taking any will-power.  As my body wakes up, it's natural healing instincts are waking up, too.  My inner voice is speaking clearly, and it feels good to be so in-sync with the seasons.

My wake-up smoothie recipe:  A base of pineapple juice with the juice of one lime.  One large bunch of parsley, one banana, and one tablespoon of hemp protein powder.  (I like hemp protein powder because it is a whole food rather than an isolate.  It is high in protein while containing wonderful Omega fatty acids and is very high in fiber.)  A few chunks of frozen mango, ice cubes, and spring water.  Heavenly!

It's two days before the official beginning of our Raw Food Adventure, and I am in the delightful contemplation and preparation stages.  This morning, I started my day with a Rainbow Chard smoothie that has left me vibrating with natural energy.  I love it that I'm not feeling some kind of an urge to have a "final meal."  Instead I'm already eating raw and loving it.

Hi Folks,

Terry and I are gearing up for our Raw Food adventure.  We're calling it Raw August, mainly because the name Raw for 30 Days was taken already, but also to sound like the hipsters we never were.  I have a premonition, though, that it may be a foreshadowing of some raw emotions and power that may be being tapped into.  We're heading into the hottest part of summer with temperatures soaring and we're not going to be dumbing ourselves down with the sedative effects of cooked food.  Instead, we're going to go raw in every sense of the word, and it already feels a little exhilarating to be heading into this challenge.

Elsa