Last time I wrote, I was in my Monastic Phase. Honestly, that was really fun. As a Virgo rising (or just kind of an obedience-prone person), I tend to love a healthy dose of rules and take to them well. I have spent time learning how to do this in a gentle way. A lot of testing out wellness is considering it an experiment, and end dates are crucial.
The end date has come. As one might have expected, I am being less monastic now. But some practices have remained. As I always say, even though I know you already know it because you’re an adult: These Are Things That Worked / Didn’t Work for ME But Might or Might Not Work For You and That’s Okay! I’ll describe how they worked for me through Hit and Not Hit.
Drink A Gallon of Water a Day
Not Hit: I… simply can’t bring myself to drink a gallon of water a day. It is so much! Not to be crude, but water has potential to make a person urinate and I do not have time for all that.
Hit: I am definitely drinking more water than I was before. And that feels like a big enough deal for me. I keep thinking about when I was *studying abroad* in Bordeaux and how perplexed I was how my host family never seemed to water at all. They roasted me for my giant water bottle! And I think that is good to remember.
That said, I feel like I’ve found some sustainable medium. The real Hit here: a wide-mouth straw lid. Hannah suggested that I get one and honestly this has been a game changer. Less spilling over myself at all times, and kind of reminds me of a Baby Bottle Pop.
Meditation
Not hit, if there is one: sometimes I do really imaginative guided meditations that I think make me a bit of a strange person right after because I am like: *reality isn’t real!*. But that passes fast. Reality is pretty real.
The truth? This hits always, and I can’t help it. I love not believing my all of my thoughts! Sorry!
No Alcohol
Not hit: On a beautiful summer’s night in the countryside, it is definitely a treat to have a glass of wine.
Hit: This was really nice for me for this stretch of time. Made me appreciate the treat of a glass of wine.
Movement Every Day
Not hit: I kind of hate calling exercise movement.
Hit: The reason the word ‘movement’ works to describe exercise is because the point is in the shifting of blood flow and interruption of stagnation – not necessarily means of the end of the body looking a certain way. That said – exercise feels good and that is a HIT!
Minimize sugar and dairy
Not hit: sorry, but sugar is entertainment and cheese is fun. I remember reading one Jennifer Aniston interview in like 2007 where she’s saying what her diet is and she’s like “I’ll never not eat cheese!”
Hit: The point of this was to avoid a couple things that I know make me feel worse in the long run, or at least not to endure any process of spike and crash. I literally am just lactose intolerant and always try to gaslight myself out of it, so this helped for sure. In terms of sugar, I have such a sweet tooth and will never stop having treats. But it was cool to let something go and the longer I wasn’t eating sugar, the less I missed it. Just today, however, I enjoyed a delicious cookie :)
Magnesium before bed
Not hit: I take the drinkable Calm powder that tastes like strawberry lemonade. It’s not for everyone and it’s annoying to schedule teeth-brushing around.
Hit: I have been sleeping HARD, whether it’s the Mg or not.
Not to get too esoteric about food and drink (even though… who are we kidding here lol!) but I do realize that this experiment was about detaching from objects that feel conflicting, or at least testing them. All of these practices and substances and things clearly represent more than just what they are - they affect how I feel, act, think. I spend so much time actively rebelling against the spaces where health morphs quietly into restriction that my vigilance becomes caring too much. Letting go felt good.
Most roads lead to the same place. I would be lying if the whole thing didn’t make me think about Aparigraha, one of the 8 limbs of yoga, qualified as non-attachment. Or Nekkhamma, the Pali word for renunciation. Humans love things, and they love realizing that they can let them go. I have been thinking often of the Transcendental Meditation quote: “Your non-attachment to the mundane is your charm.” And who doesn’t want to be charming???
I hoped that I wouldn’t get bored. And guess what? Of course I got bored! Duh! Food is interesting and when it gets less interesting (a lot of dashi and overnight oats), other things became a little more interesting.
Coffee in the morning? Revelatory. Sweating in the sun? Exhilarating. Getting annoyed at an email? I am furious! Fireflies? Nature’s miracle. Tick checks? My hero’s journey. Singing by myself in the car? Belting it and sounding amazing.
Where I was staying, there were horses. At first, they would stare at me and I wouldn’t quite understand why. Then, I became a horse girl, and fast. Most days, the horses and I would chat. They weren’t eating dairy or drinking alcohol, and for those two weeks? I wasn’t either.
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SOME THINGS I NEED TO TELL YOU
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Since we last spoke, Care of Chan published this piece I wrote about one of my favorite places, Mermaid Spa. To sweat and to feast!
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This sounds like a plug but lord knows I am a FREE AGENT it’s literally just an important thing that has happened in my life. I started taking Seed and it’s honestly amazing. It’s kind of insane to experience. Just had to share.
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I started listening to Exploration Live with Heidi on the way to Joshua Tree. She put it on while I got carsick. We listened while she drove the spectacular hills and valleys, then I threw up, and then she went and got me a Coca Cola, which somehow fixed everything. I love her! I love this podcast. It is a profound source of benevolence.
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On September 5th, my angel friend Sophie Christenberry will be having a Chapbook Release Party at High Low Beverage Company from 5 -8 pm. Her chapbook is called Shift Notes. You can buy her chapbook here, and you should. I’ll also read a little something. <3
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Congratulations on the monk mode! Seems like you've learnt a lot