And . . . follow the bouncing ball!      Yes, folks, she’s up, she’s down, she’s up again, she’s . . .

feeling MUCH better today than yesterday.   Day 7.   Three more days to go.  And though I’m not sure at this point whether I’ll continue longer after Day 10, I do know for certain that I’ll never give up the practice of regular juicing.   It will remain an integral part of my eating routine.   There’s been some weight loss, a clearing of brain fog, and I swear my eyesight is just a little bit better.  Zero joint pain, which has tended to be an issue for me.  Which means that the physiological experience of change and betterment is definitely measurable.  The psychological, emotional, and spiritual wing of this old body….that’s a little harder to quantify.   I think if shifts are happening, they’ll become more apparent with time.

My meditation was very early this morning, as I needed to go to my office job, and it was so centering and soothing that I think it set the tone for my groundedness today.   I took my sippy cup filled with my green concoction to work, but neglected to take the 2-liter jug with the rest of today’s meals.   So I was pretty starving by the time I got home at 5:45.     But before going home, I needed to do my shopping for tomorrow, and this time carrots were in the mix.    I was feeling one of those hankerings again, so I got home and quickly juiced up the carrots, and added a little nutmeg in the glass.   Yummy!

Though my own sense of center seemed firmly in place today, after yesterday’s dumps, there was some sad news received.   A singer I distantly knew, and had sung some gigs with, passed away today, and though I didn’t know her well, people who are dear to my heart DID know her well, and I got to experience the heartbreak of people I love.    So, though I’d already meditated this morning, I did another sit this evening, in memory of the lovely Chrissy, and all those who loved her.

For that matter, it seems I have been losing people all around me lately (this wasn’t even the first death this week of someone I’d known.)  These passings have sobered and humbled me, made me thankful for the life I live, and the people who love me, and the dawning that opting for solutions to struggles, which is what I’m trying to do with this Lenten observance, has even more of my respect and my cherishing.   This is sacred space.

Interesting how it sometimes takes death to remind us to live.

Angela Carole Brown is the author of three published books, The Assassination of Gabriel Champion, The Kidney Journals: Memoirs of a Desperate Lifesaver, and Trading Fours, and has produced several albums of music and a yoga/mindfulness CD.   Bindi Girl Chronicles is her writing blog.   Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & YouTube.