Day 1: Choosing to Love Myself and Own My Life Day 6. After yesterday’s chaos, a slower-paced day was definitely in order. Balance in all things. Despite having a mile-long to-do list, which was added to/shifted significantly after yesterday’s conversation with Joe & Carl, I needed to balance out yesterday’s madness. Woke up around 6:15. I can’t sleep much past that most of the time- the Sun comes up and our cat LuLu meows until someone gets up to feed her. Over the years, Mira has gained the ability to sleep through the meowing. I have not. I’ve decided to look at it as the Universe’s way to keep me on a regular morning schedule! I didn’t do the entire morning routine, but was able to get in a Headspace meditation (15 minutes), some Qigong and shoulder mobility/rehab, and a few minutes on the rebounder. I didn’t go for my morning walk today, as Marley wouldn’t get out of his bed (in the bedroom) when I got up, and for some reason I didn’t even think to go by myself. We have a running joke that Marley and Mira have “Sleep Team” practice every morning, and that they’re “Sleep Teammates”. Marley will generally walk with me and then go to the door to be let back into the room, and will then generally cuddle up with her the rest of the morning. They’re training for the “Sleep Olympics”, and both take practice time very seriously, as any future champions should. [caption id="attachment_4382" align="alignright" width="357"] I went back for seconds on the sausage! So. Good.[/caption] I spent about 40 minutes writing my post on Friday (Day 5), trying my best to portray in words the breakneck speed at which the day flew by, and my perspective and mindset during it all. It was hilariously entertaining in real-life, so I hope I did it justice in the post! Seeing as I didn’t really eat much dinner last night, I was hungry earlier than normal. We had recently acquired some breakfast sausages from the local company, Meatmen, which are absolutely incredible. I cooked up some sweet potato hash (sweet potato, onion, coconut oil, and Meat & Potatoes Spice from Primal Palate) to go with the sausages, and added some avocado slices with lime juice & chili powder. Yum! Marley enjoyed breakfast as well, due to the fact I finished off our giant bucket of coconut oil and he got to make sure it was clean! (He loves “coco”, as he knows it) It’s also great for his skin/coat and overall health! After a shower, with the last couple minutes on COLD, I went to my 2nd appointment with Lucas, my local Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture wizard. After my first visit on Tuesday (Day 2), my pain was greatly reduced. After this treatment, I’d say it’s probably 90%-95% gone. Absolutely incredible. I’m not gonna’ go crazy with training or anything yet, and still going to work on the mobility, stability, etc… with anti-inflammatories, etc… but it’s amazing how much better it feels in only two treatments! Bonus: I felt like I was floating on clouds for several hours afterwards. Acupuncture high! Lucas shares a small space with Mad Monk Tea Shop, owned by his friend Taylor. These guys are world-class tea experts, and fascinating to talk with. I sat down, learned from Taylor for a little while, and enjoyed some delicious tea. We’re going to have the guys from Mad Monk on a podcast soon – perhaps even develop it into a Tea 101 series, as there is SO much more to learn than I ever knew. Tea can become a hobby, an important part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and I’d like to introduce you to this idea! Here’s where things got interesting. I’ve got a tattoo on my left/arm shoulder that I’m working on lightening/removing so that it can be covered up with something else. (Yes, I know tattoos probably aren’t the most healthy thing. It’s a calculated risk that I take, and I enjoy them very much.) How does one lighten a tattoo? With lasers. [caption id="attachment_4383" align="alignright" width="189"] Q-Switch Laser Machine[/caption] This was my second laser treatment on the tattoo, and used a different machine than the last time. I was concerned the experience would rob me of my acupuncture vibes… and it did not! Yes, it’s extremely painful. Yes, it smells like burning flesh while taking place. Yes, it’s quite traumatic. But… it was over in under 5 minutes. (Which is great, because I don’t know if I could sit there for 10 minutes) Afterwards, I was really hungry, so I snacked on some Nick’s Sticks (grass-fed beef sticks from Wallace Farms – discount in Buyer’s Club for our Primal90 Members). Mira usually keeps these in her purse for exactly these occasions. Preparation is HUGE. On the way home, I talked with Mira about how that kind of traumatic experience, or really anything not pleasant (or celebratory) has always involved food for me. That it was very strange not to be stopping on the way home for tacos, or Thai, or ice cream, or some other kind of “treat”. I have a very strong emotional connection to restaurants, dining out, even if the food isn’t the best. I come from a family where we ate out a lot – from fast food (younger) to very high quality restaurants. There’s something about going out to eat that is extremely comforting to me, and I’m learning to remove that emotional attachment. I felt like something was missing, that I had (in metaphor) eaten all my vegetables, but wasn’t given dessert. Part of this project is to be open and honest about that unhealthy association/programming. Instead of going out to eat and/or getting some kind of “treat”, I decided to go home and cook one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. A grass-fed filet from our local beef CSA (True Pasture Beef). This was better than anything I could have ordered at any restaurant. Throw in some sauteed onions, baked (pressure cooked) Asian sweet potato (like potato candy), and spicy Moroccan olives, and it was truly an amazing meal! After dinner, I decided to create/design a slightly different organizational method/calendar/plan for the week. (Since last week’s crashed and burn, it’s insanity to try the same thing) We shall see what happens with this one! Mira works Monday, and is going up to the Bay Area (Berkeley, CA) to see her family from Tues-Thurs, works Friday, Saturday, and Sunday next weekend. That means I have 7 straight days of solid work days. I try to work full days when she’s gone or working, and half days (or days off) when she’s off. BIG week ahead – so here’s to trying a new system! Once I was finished, we relaxed a little bit, discussed the book Mira is reading (Graham Hancock’s Fingerprints of the Gods – about ancient civilizations, alternate interpretations of history, and plenty of other fascinating topics), watched the blisters on my arm form and grow, and went to bed with a little sadness because we’re out of our yummy Designs for Health Magnesium Chelate Powder, which is generally a bedtime staple. I’m gonna’ go order more of that… you have an awesome Sunday! Self-Care / Movement Today

• Journal
• Meditation
• Qigong / Rehab
• Rebounding
• Acupuncture/Moxabustion Treatment
• Food totally on-point and delicious
• Did not resort to old habits/patterns around food and positive/negative/traumatic life events
• In bed on time

Today’s Lessons I knew I needed a slower-paced, lighter day today, and I took it. This is difficult to do when staring at a mile-long “to-do” list and tasks that need to be done. Now, today (next day) I have much more/better energy and will be able to get a ton of work done in an efficient manner. Coming home and cooking dinner vs. going out to eat, getting a treat, etc… (same as Day 5 with all the stress) will get easier and easier every time I do it. My arm is going to be blistered and burned for at least a few days, which will prevent me from going to yoga, doing some of my exercises, and/or anything that really requires much movement of my left arm. That’s okay – I’m going to walk more, and do a lower body/core workout on Monday. Learning to listen to one’s body (and intuition), and take a rest/break when needed, is extremely important and often overlooked. Thank you to me for taking care of me!      ]]>