Day 4 of 21

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Larry has already joked about how he got me a big box of chocolates. Funny. Not.

I haven't had a bite of solid food in three days!!!

This hasn't been so hard. As long as I sip on the "magic juice" every ten to 15 minutes, I've been able to keep hunger at bay. I did go to bed hungry last night. Not too bad, but I really wanted something to eat.

Today, I can eat vegetables only. Oddly, the thing I crave most is steamed cabbage, followed by roasted brussels sprouts--two things I don't eat that much... but the truth is that I'd be happy to eat just about anything today!

So, what changes to I see after three days of drinking lemon juice, water, green tea and maple syrup? I can see the difference in my hands and feet. They don't look puffy. I had noticed in the past couple of months that my hands looked, well, fat. More often than not I could not get my rings on in the morning. Now they are loose on my finger. Larry says my face looks thinner. (Less puffy?) I was evidently carrying a lot of water  weight. Since this time last week, I've released ten pounds.

Knowing that I'm doing this under medical supervision of Kelly Engelmann at Enhanced Wellness is comforting. I know that this isn't just a way to get weight off, but I'm actually getting rid the harmful toxins that have been building up in my liver and elsewhere in my body. I'm making sure I retain the all my muscle mass (78.5 pounds of my total body weight is muscle) while losing fat.

Kelly uses the Core Restore detox system, and today I'll begin taking supplements from the detox kit, including two "shakes" made of the Core Support powder.

I've decided not to eat until lunch time, as I just can't stomach the thought of veggies in the morning, no matter how hungry I am! (I didn't wake up hungry, and I've already had a cup of hot green tea, so I'm fine...)

One day at a time!

I can do this. I will do this.

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan

Day 3 of 21

I think I did this wrong.

Yesterday was Mardi Gras...Fat Tuesday. A day of debauchery and excess before the solemn 40 days of Lent. There was no excess and certainly no debauchery for me yesterday, as I sipped my special cleansing concoction all day. But that's OK...I'm two days ahead of the game!

A friend pointed out to me yesterday that it was appropriate that I be on this 21-day cleanse during Lent. Interesting correlation. Giving up something for Lent is a sort of penance, helping Christians get "right" before Easter. Lent lasts 40 days...this cleanse/detox is just 21 days.

In years past I've given up soft drinks for Lent, and I've attempted to give up sweets. But I haven't been drinking soft drinks--regular or diet--for several years now. As for sweets, I carefully measure out the four tablespoons of organic Grade B maple syrup that's called for in my daily drink. I can't imagine drinking the nearly two cups of lemon juice that's mixed with water and green tea. The maple syrup helps to support consistent and steady glucose levels to help support normal physiology. Sipping the drink every ten to 15 minutes provides the body with a steady supply of simple sugar that helps support healthy blood sugar levels.

Next week I'll be able to add fruits to my diet, which I'm looking forward to. According to the booklet that came with my detox kit, foods that increase detoxification include raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples and any other fresh or frozen fruit and 100% berry juices. Fruits to avoid: canned fruit packed in syrup, high sugar or artificial berry juices, oranges and grapefruit.

Oh, as for the lemons I'm using now--yes, they are fruit. But they are certainly not sweet. It turns out that many people who are seeking to support their metabolism have a slight acidic nature. Lemons and limes have an alkalizing effect on the body.

But there are other things besides food that can be given up for Lent. The idea is self-denial of some sort, and as you are missing that thing that you've denied yourself, you focus on the journey Christ made on his way to Calvary. Perhaps I should consider giving up being a couch potato for Lent. In other words...I need to get moving!!!

So, yesterday was fine...I did get up off the couch and I worked all day. I am used to breaking for lunch, and I did that yesterday, stopping to sip a cup of hot organic green tea. Today, which is day three of drinking the special "juice" only, I have a noon meeting. A lunch meeting. I will take my juice and sip it throughout the meeting and I'll do fine.

I can do this. I will do this.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Day 2 of 21

I did it!

I made it through Day 1 of my 21-day detox with no problems! I sipped on a concoction of organic green tea, water, the juice of five HUGE organic lemons, and four tablespoons of Grade B organic maple syrup. A full gallon of it. That four quarts. Or sixteen cups. One hundred twenty eight ounces. I also sipped on a cup of hot green tea last night.

Hunger slipped in a couple of times, but I just gulped the juice an it passed. That tells me that when I feel hunger, most likely it's really thirst, and I need to drink water before eating food.

Of course I had reservations. I tend to set myself up for failure with this kind of thing. Blogging about it puts it out there. I'm now held accountable to not only myself, but to anyone reading this! And I am holding myself accountable to Kelly Engelmann at Enhanced Wellness, who got me into all this back when I wrote an article about wellness clinics for the January issue of VIP Jackson. (The article is here, starting on page 56...the babe with the apple is Nancy Kay Wessman, who has been telling me about Enhanced Wellness for a couple of years...)

This detox is liver-centered. The program is scientifically designed to provide nutritional support for healthy metabolic function. It specifically targets the health of the gastrointestinal-neuroendocrine-immune system. That's a lot of mumbo-jumbo for I'm determined to get healthy and slim down while doing it!

I was pretty much a slug all day yesterday, by design. I laid on the couch with my laptop all day...I just didn't want to rock the boat too much. I was concerned about having a caffeine headache, but I didn't. I was concerned about being starving, but I wasn't. I was concerned about all kinds of things that simply didn't happen. I was fine. And today is even better.

I'm halfway through the second day...and I'm fine.

I can do this. I will do this.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Day 1 of 21

Slimmer. Trimmer. Healthier. Fitter.

Happier?

Well, who isn't happier when they're slim, trim, healthy and fit?

Today is DAY ONE of a 21-day super cleanse I'm doing to jump start my weight loss program. It will revitalize healthy liver function, and detoxify my body.

The program is through a clinic in Jackson called ENHANCED WELLNESS. I learned about it from my friend, NancyKay Wessman, who has been undergoing a major transformation of her own.

After watching my mother suffer from complications of diabetes for the first six months of last year, ultimately ending in her death last June, I made a decision to live a healthier life. Then I promptly gained about 20 pounds.

Something had to give.

I first started going to Enhanced Wellness in December. Great timing. NOT. But their program certainly helped heighten my awareness and probably helped me avoid some of the foods I needed to stay away from for the better part of the holidays.

I didn't lose weight during that time, but I didn't gain any. Ground zero.

So, here I go. For the next 21 days I'll be fasting and detoxing and drinking concoctions of green tea, maple syrup and lemon juice along with healthier foods--all organic--as my body "releases" excess pounds and my liver rids itself of the harmful toxins trapped within.

No coffee, no wine for the next 21 days.

 I can do this. I CAN DO THIS.

Gotta go sip my "super tea." More tomorrow.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Thirty.

Birthdays are a way for us to mark time. They can also be a sort of rite of passage, depending on the birthday.

For children, those special birthdays come fast and furious for the first 21 years. With them come parties, balloons, cakes and more. Birthdays have turned into grand affairs, usually with a theme that goes along with the child's interests at the time.

First birthdays mark one year of making it through infanthood. Around the first birthday, babies are learning to walk, sending them crashing into toddlerhood. I've seen some of the most elaborate birthdays celebrated for one-year-olds, who will never even remember it. Special cakes are made especially for the celebrant--put it on the highchair in front of the baby and see what happens! What a waste of good cake...

I guess the next landmark birthday is five. I'm not sure why, because I think it should be six...that means a child is now old enough to go to school for the next twelve years. 

Ten is a significant birthday, because the child is then in the double digits...and three years of pre-teen silliness. But then comes 13. Now the child is a TEENAGER. We don't really do the big Quinceanera for the 15th birthday that many Latin American countries do. It's like a mini wedding, with elaborate dresses. (Translation: Big Bucks.)

The next big birthday is 16. Sweet sixteen. Driver's license. Freedom. Then 18, which means they can vote and they are old enough to go off to college. 

Of course, the big birthday marks the end of childhood altogether. It's 21. Legal to drink. Everyone makes a big deal out of it, but in reality, they are really just the same kid...

No significant birthdays are celebrated when a person is in their 20's. During that time, a transition is made from childhood to adulthood as they find their way out of college and into a career. But then something happens. It sneaks up on you when you least imagine it. 

You turn 30. Or, worse. Your oldest child turns 30. What does that mean?

Nicole, who we let loose on the world early on, is still the same size she was in the ninth grade. She has a forever-young face that makes it hard for us to remember that she's not sixteen any more. When she was 25, her world and ours was turned upside down when she fell off a six story building. We flew her from New York where she had been living back to Jackson in an air ambulance. After months in rehab, we brought her home, to the room where she grew up. 

For a long time I cared for her almost like a newborn. I helped bathe her, feed her and helped her get dressed. I did her makeup an hair. I was with her 24/7. Gradually, she learned to care for herself. She worked hard in therapy to get stronger and to find new ways of doing the things she insisted on doing for herself. 

As Nicole stepped back into her independence more and more each day, I was thrilled, but a little sad, because I enjoyed our time together. I had to let her go all over again, knowing that bad things can happen to good people out in the world. 

Each birthday since her accident has been a celebration of Nicole's life. And that's what birthdays should be for everyone. A special day when a person is celebrated.

Yesterday was Nicole's 30th birthday. She is now transitioning not only into an independent life of her own, but deep into adulthood. When I turned 30, I felt I had gained a little "street cred." I felt legitimate. "I know what I'm talking about because I'm 30." I wonder if Nicole feels the same way.

We weren't with Nic on her momentous birthday. She was in New Orleans, celebrating with her boyfriend. I hope that she had a wonderful evening. And I hope she has a great decade filled with excitement, achievement and happiness. 

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan

Everyone Has a Story

True stories. Told Live.

That's the motto of The Moth, a non-profit organization based in New York with the mission of preserving the art of storytelling. Engaging, well-crafted stories from around the world. True stories.

The older I get, the more I realize that everyone has a story. There are people we encounter in our daily lives that we don't give a second thought. It's almost like they're invisible. I'm as guilty as the next person when it comes to seeing through people who don't seem to have a significance in my own life. Yet, more and more I learn that a few words, even the briefest of interchanges, can reveal the most incredible stories. It's like peeling an onion, and as the layers are peeled back, stories of pain, stories of happiness, stories of triumph begin to unfold. And so many of the stories are worth hearing and contemplating. Worth learning from. Worth admiring. Worth sharing.

One of the stories began to unfold four years ago at Methodist Rehab. As a mother, I was so hyper-focused on Nicole and her recovery, that I really didn't give the "peripheral" people much thought. I knew her therapists' and doctors' names as those people were vitally important to what was going on in Nicole's life. What I didn't give much thought to was who the young woman carrying a camera was, and why she showed up whenever the media was there to do stories on Nicole. I learned her name was Talamieka, but that's about all I knew about her. Or all I cared to know at the time. I never dreamed that quiet, unassuming young woman would be someone I'd admire and love as much as I do today.

Talamieka's story is significant. From a small town in Mississippi, she attended Jackson State University where she majored in graphic design. While there, she met the love of her life, Charles Brice, who was also a graphic design major. They became rivals of sorts, but they were also each other's most avid cheerleader. Like many students, Charles joined the military to help pay for college. As their love grew, Charles' involvement in the Army grew too, and eventually, his unit was deployed to Afghanistan. A quick trip to the Justice of the Peace, and the two were married before he shipped off.

While Nicole was going through the fight of her life at Methodist Rehab, learning to walk again, Talamieka was going through her own personal struggles, dealing with the unknown and wondering if Charles would return home safely. She went home to an empty bed each night and went to church each Sunday with an empty spot on the pew beside her. And all the while I had no idea. Because I didn't take the time to know her story.

After Nicole's discharge from Methodist Rehab, Charles returned home. Nicole got to know both of them better, and they became fast friends. A wedding was planned, where Charles and Talamieka could really celebrate their marriage and Nicole was included as a guest. Over time, Larry and I got to know the young couple and see how pure their hearts were. At first, we loved them because they loved Nicole. But it didn't take long to love them because of the awesome people they are.

Last night, I had the honor of attending the opening reception of "Combat Boots and High Heels," a combined effort that tells both Charles' side of the story of his deployment, and Talamieka's struggles at home. It's a poignant look at their emotional journey, and from the very beginning, it tells the story of their relationship to art and to each other. As Talamieka said, it was an opportunity for them to unpack all the emotions they've had bottled up for so long, and to move on the next chapter in their lives.

Also attending the event was Diane Williams, my favorite story teller of all time! She has spent a lifetime collecting, preserving and telling stories to thousands of people across the country and around the world. Each time I see her I'm reminded about the importance of storytelling.

Just last week, I attended the opening of this season's Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series which featured an Irish storyteller/singer named Mairtin de Cogain. I could have listened to his stories all night.

I'm scheduled to attend a writer's workshop later this month at the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale. It's a Creative Non-Fiction writing workshop, meaning that I'll learn more about writing TRUE stories, creatively. The story I'm working on is the book about Nicole's accident. I've been working on it for awhile now, and it's taken a new turn: Nicole's perspective will be worked into the book.

So, this morning, I was sippin' on my coffee, thinking about the wonderful exhibit I saw last night, and thinking about the Brice's story, when there was a story on CBS Sunday Morning about stories. They mentioned The Moth, which I discovered while listening to XM Radio in my car. And it reminded me, once again, that everyone has a story. I encourage you to really listen to the people you encounter on a daily basis, and you may be truly amazed at the stories they have to share.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

I love blogs.

I love blogs.

Since my new obsession with Pinterest, I've discovered more blogs than I can read in a lifetime.
Creative blogs. Entertaining blogs. Informative blogs. Witty blogs. Pithy blogs. Ridiculous blogs.

So why do I have a blog? That's an especially poignant question, considering I haven't posted since mid-June.

I began this blog out of a need to write. I had been writing for a year and a half, pretty much every day, on Nicole's Caring Bridge site. Carol Terry, my BFF and Nicole's godmother, set up the Caring Bridge for us, while I was still in route from Jackson to New York one year ago today. I wrote the "My Story"section on August 31, 2008.

Today is four years since Nicole fell off the roof of her apartment building in New York. Today is four years since our lives changed dramatically. Today is a day to celebrate Nicole's life!

In four years, we've met countless new friends. I can't imagine not having them in our lives. So does that mean I am glad Nicole had an accident, because we've met some really wonderful folks we would not have met otherwise?

Of course not!

The reality is that bad things happen in life. But in the bad, so much good can be found, if only we are open to it. The same thing happened when my mom was in the hospital. We got very close to a few of the nurses and our lives are richer for knowing them.

In the last few days, we've anticipated and prepared for a major storm.

 A hurricane. His name was Isaac.

That storm brought a wonderful new person into our home, and despite the rain, wind and concerns, we've had a really nice time.

My boy, Joey Joe, stayed on campus at Millsaps. No class today, so he --wait for it-- s.t.u.d.i.e.d.(!), worked out and went to visit Larry at the Country Club (mostly to model his new Millsaps Majors warm-ups). He transferred to Millsaps this semester to major in business...and to play football.

The opening game against their arch-rival Mississippi College was scheduled for tonight, but thanks to Isaac, it was delayed until Saturday at 3pm. We'll be ready!

So now I'm back to the question at hand. Why do I blog? I guess it's a way to chronicle my life. It's a way for me to gather my thoughts and focus on what's important to me. It's also a way to connect with others. And with a book in the works, it reminds me to think....to muse....to ponder....and to write.

Back to that Caring Bridge site: it was a way for me to let others know Nicole's condition so that I didn't have to say it over and over. It was a way to keep people up to date on what was most urgent, so they'd know specifically what to pray for. And in time, it was a way for those who had a vested interest in Nicole--through prayers and financial contributions and visits and much more--to see how their investment paid off by keeping up with her progress through the Caring Bridge.

But after awhile, it got kinda creepy. People would see us in public and ask how the lasagne we ate the night before was, or if we had a good time at the theatre. I wrote very candidly about our daily lives, and it was almost like people were stalking us, because they knew our every move. Nicole, who is actually the MOST private person I know, grew tired of everyone knowing her every move. So, Caring Bridge ended. But I still longed to write. The subject matter changed from Nicole and only Nicole to me. My thoughts. My journey back into the "real world" after being sidelined into Nicole-land. It was cathartic for me and still is. Because I'm still on that journey, still growing, still learning, and still venturing into the next phase of my life.

There's so much more to come!

Blessings to all who read this.
Susan