The bigger picture…
We are so close to finishing our 10 day goal!
Tomorrow we will wake and decide where to go from here. What new habits will become part of your daily rhythm and where will you ease back?
Food is truly our most powerful medicine and each resource we bring into our bodies is incredibly precious. The crystalline spring water flowing from the mountains. Food cultivated by loving hands from around the world plentifully available year round at our local grocer…this would seem such a miracle to our not so distant ancestors.
So much to meditate on and give thanks for.
The same meditation also calls to the forefront the cost of things. The luxury of transporting foods from another hemisphere? The resources involved in raising meat? Tax-funded agricultural subsidies mask true costs exponentially…
It’s interesting that this cleanse, which has been so beneficial for each of our bodies, has also been extremely beneficial to the health of the planet. The statistics on the savings in choosing a meatless meal is staggering. Research indicates that plant meals are the single biggest way to reduce one’s impact on the planet. And so much can be sourced directly from our local communities. Our dietary choices have far greater impact than our flying habits, plastic straws and driving electric cars.
We can make a difference without being rigid. We don’t need to be perfect to help.
In considering how to move forward in a good way, looking to our elders provides helpful guidance and motivation. There has been extensive study of cultural “blue zones”, areas where the population enjoys statistically better health and longer lifespans than the rest of us. We are talking loads of centenarians…people living with healthy bodies and sharp minds beyond 100 years. They must be doing something right!
These people are generally not strict vegetarians, but do eat far fewer fleshy meals that most of of us. They use moderation around animal resources, emphasize an abundance of simple seasonal plant foods and fresh water, include a few sweets and a little coffee, tea and wine. That doesn’t sound too difficult. The wisdom of the middle path.
It is also heart-warming to know that in the midst of such incredible turmoil around climate change, such habits are perhaps the most important action we can take as individuals and also keep us incredibly healthy.
Win-win situations are my favorite :)