High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure? Me? No, not me. I mean I haven't ever had any health issues and am rarely sick. But I had a pre-employment physical the other day and my blood pressure was really high.

They said some people have elevated pressures just by going into the doctor's office but mine was really high. And my weight is way up there too. Not a good combination. I have been feeling something different and having headaches last few months but I thought it was just atmospheric with the change of altitude. Now I'm convinced it's not.

I've got to keep my diet together. I have to keep it raw.

Out of respect for the Earth and my body

Look how great she looks. Terilynn, the love of my life and my main motivation for trying to be healthy. She said something to me last week, "isn't it good to know you have someone to grow old with?" When she said it I first thought of growing old and that kind of scared me; but I did find it comforting that I would have such a great companion. Comfort and companion; that does sound old.

The thing that scares me though about growing old is that I won't be in good health to enjoy life. And really, with the way I've been treating my body recently, it's not going to be in any shape for the golden years.

The path is clear to me right now. For the present, for the future. For myself, for my love, for my children. I have to take care of this vessel.

My mom always taught me that my body is the temple of Christ. I knew she meant that I should take care of it but why didn't make sense. I thought it ridiculous that the all powerful god of my Christian upbringing would fit into my body. And hopefully he wasn't about to hold church up in there. But I think it does go a little deeper.

Not litteral, and not only spiritual but representational. When one looks at a body like the one I've abused, they see the neglect and mismanagement. They sense the lack of control that lets such a temple dilapidate. It shows a lack of respect for one's only connection to Earth. And as temples, I feel that we are god's connection to the Earth. And God can be whatever your life experiences have formed him to be. Even the agnostic must have some belief system that includes a power greater than us, even if it's not controlling us or watching over us but maybe just observing.

There is something happening to our planet right now. It's the direct result of our lack of respect for our surroundings and our own bodies. It's as if we've become a cancer to our planet and if so, it must shed us in order to survive. I'm sure it needs some us for general maintenance but it won't be the ones of us that trash it. It'll be those who show respect and love for all it's wonders and natural gifts.

Knowing this, I need to start here with me. I need to stop playing around like there are no consequences for my actions and take care of this problem in any way that I am able . Protecting my health, teaching my kids, reducing our consumption, and reversing our impact to bring about positive changes to our environment.

We've almost become vegetarian. My wife is raw-vegan. The kids eat very little meat and I refuse to bring raw meat into the house. I've been trying to be raw vegetarian but it's time to stop trying and start doing. I can't wait any longer because my planet, my god, my wife, my family needs me right now to be in the best of shape and as I grow old to do so in good health.

So at this time I make an oath to myself and to my environment to go forth with respect to my body and to god's earth. I will only put in those foods and beverages that keep me running at optimal levels. Raw, mostly organic, mostly local produce.

What is it?

Mushroom

No it's not a real mushroom. It's a shell on a stick stuck in Irish Moss. I got this picture of it just in time because my son broke it. He's awesome like that. He'll be good for the economy when he grows up. Buy it and break it. I used to take the kids to the dollar store and let them get a toy but their toys would either not work at all or be broken within the hour. I used to buy lots of cheap toys for their birthdays and Christmas but I don't think I'll do that anymore. I now see the error of my ways. I see the waste as well as the disappointment. One good sturdy toy is going to last and never get lost at the bottom of the toybox. When it's real, it is worth something later. All this cheap stuff from China is bogging us down. Not only are we broke but also disappointed with the crap we have. I wish I could just throw all this crap away, but that would compaound the wastefulness and there's probably some kid at the thrift store to give it one more play before they throw it away.

"Whatever," Avery says.

My Valentine don't like Roses

Candy.
Chocolate hearts and little message hearts.
I love my valentine
But my valentine don't love sweet candy.

Flowers.
Long-stemmed roses and calle lillies.
I love my valentine
But my valentine don't love smelly flowers.

Beaches.
Toes in the sand and the fog rolls in.
I love my valentine
But my valentine don't love rainy beaches.

Jewelry.
Shiny silver heart on an invisible chain.
I love my valentine
But my valentine don't love cheap jewelry.

Me.
Not sweet or smelly, rainy or cheap.
I love my valentine
And my valentine loves me too.

Don't call me Mom, Mister

It's really tough being a dad. It's rewarding, I'm told. Eventually all this hard-ly appreciated work must culminate into something worthwhile. Like when your son plays in the superbowl and there you are in the stands, some goofy mom-, glitter-shirt. Yeah I said mom because somewhere in the past, when I was a kid, it was traditional for mom to be the mom. But now it's not uncommon for the dad to be the mom. It's okay with me but there are many times throughout the day that I wish I was at a job. A job with an adult boss would be perfect.

I have conspiracy theories.

Some of my theories are admittedly outrageous and even paranoid, but I'm driven by my inner-driver to concoct them anyway. For example: Television programmers are brain-branding our children and altering their behaviors thus causing them to act so badly that a parent would go out and work for the corporations who paid such television programmers to provide wrongful behavior modifiers for no more than the minimum wage.

I know people who work two jobs and pay the babysitter the total wages of the second job.

I now understand.

I empathize.

I apologize.

I owe my wife a lot more than that.

It's my turn to be the stay-home parent.

Released

Wow.
Time has flown by.
And where was I?
Moving here to there.
All around everywhere, the dust must settle finally.
Allowing for acceptance, acclamated, but finally?
May be soon, my heart works to balance.
My head rings in the night.
Unrested, humbled to near silence.
Falling from cliffs inside my head.
But falling is still scary.
Yes, it beats incarceration.
Cells of stagnant imagination and creation choke like mold spores.
I still fall but there is time even as it flies.
There is hope even as the world won't wait.
I still fall but I should fall still.

Wendell Homes (flash fiction)

Wendell Holmes cooked short order at a greasy spoon diner on East Colfax.

A very good cook, he could flip an egg with his right hand while turning a burger with his left. His gravies were never lumpy and his soups always divine.

Each morning, Wendell woke early to coffee with cream and sugar and bagels with butter. Each evening ended with ten or so beers in front of his rabbit-ear sporting Magnavox. What happened in the hours between was more drastic. He ate bits and pieces of eggs and ham, cheese and turkey, french fries and bacon slices. All day on his swollen ankles, he hid behind toasters, ducked under cabinets, and gorged in the lonely chill of the walk-in refrigerator.

How long must this have gone on? Though they noticed, and who could not, no one made mention. They just watched him grow. And grow he did. With each bite, another square millimeter popped into the toxic waste-line.

Confrontations were mostly met with anger.

Wendell turned red and lashed out. He grabbed his chest, his vision blurred.

Wendell Holmes was a very good cook.

Blueberry Blues

I forgot while grocery shopping the other day that I’m now, temporarily, alone. Well I didn’t really forget but maybe out of habit, I overbought. And in one case it was to the tune of five pounds of blueberries. That’s a lot of blueberries and there I was stuck with finding out what to do with them. I ate some, made a fruit salad and a smoothie and still had most of the box left so I decided to make a Blueberry Cobbler. Usually Teri prepares all the raw dishes and I must admit I’ve become spoiled being her taste tester. Yes, it has been nice, but I’m no slouch when it comes to cooking, so I gave it a shot, and… OMG, it came out so good. I fed it to some people at the bar and they had no idea they were eating raw and healthy food. Being that it turned out so delicious, I have to record the recipe for posterity.

Filling:

4 Cups Blueberries, whole
Set these aside for later.

1 Cup Blueberries with water to cover
1 Tbsp Chia seeds soaked for about five minutes
¼ Cup Coconut oil, liquefied
¼ Cup Honey

Blend these ingredients well and pour over the whole blueberries. Dehydrate for an hour to soften the berries and marry the flavors.
Then chill it in the fridge while you make the crunchy stuff.

Crunchy Stuff:

1 Cup Walnuts
1 Cup Dates, medjools are best
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 pinch Celtic Sea Salt
A little Agave to taste

Put these in a processor until you have a rough texture. You might have to add a little more agave to get a good clump. When the processor starts thumping across the counter, you got it right.Put the crunchy stuff on top of the filling and put it back into the dehydrator for 5 hours. It is finished, as God would say.

Needing support now

My wife and kids left today for an extended vacation in Cali. Well, a vacation for the kids but school for Terilynn. She'll be at the Living Light Inst. I think it's a great opportunity for her and the family as a whole, but it's going to be hard for me. Having her around keeps me pretty honest in what I eat, though not always what I drink. I'll really miss her and already can't wait til they get back. Anyway, I'll need some support and have joined the raw food rehab (don't know how to make that a link). Hope this all works out great.

Just Checkin' in

I've been working lots of hours lately and haven't had time to really process my thoughts. The bar I work at is a tough place to be raw vegan in. People don't have any grasp of the concept at all. I can tell them about it four times and they still look at me in horror when I tell them I don't eat meat. My family came up for lunch the other day and I fixed my wife a salad, explaining to my work-mates that she is raw-vegan and one of them said "oh, I'm sorry. Is she weak and feeble." No. I explained to him that she has a hypothyroid condition and that we wanted to follow a generally healthier lifestyle. I saw the sadness in his eyes as I told him I hadn't eaten meat since Christmas and I felt that he truly felt sorrow for me. If I couldn't eat meat how could I ever enjoy life. Why even get up in the morning? Maybe I need to get up earlier to find me a different job. But would that really solve anything.

People don't understand because first of all they find it impossible to believe someone could maintain health without eating carcinogins. This seems to be the very flaw in thinking that keeps our country obese and hooked on pharmaceuticals. It's a 'mob rules' type of mentality.

Should I care about what these people think about my diet? No. And I shouldn't feel like I need to make excuses for it. I eat this way because I want to.

If you don't like it you can kiss my greens.

Placemat NRCR

Neglect to nurture and to teach and feed
Respect what can happen when we just let it bleed
Conceal the emotion and the love down deep
Reveal consequences of seeds sown, now reap

Neglect to be the one who teaches the rules
Respect the courts decision in the house of fools
Conceal history and biological truths
Reveal lies hidden in the souls of shoes

Neglect to pass on a basic knowledge of health
Respect when the cancers eat away at wealth
Conceal health costs wrapped up in ice cream
Reveal that it's real and none was a dream

Neglect to move forward and not stay in the past
Respect where your elders have visited last
Conceal nothing more as it eats up your heart
Reveal that the plan is for a brand new start

Time flies

I hadn't realized until just this minute that I haven't posted in over a week. My 3-day juice went pretty good but right after I was back to my old tricks. It's hard to break bad habits when you've been around for several decades but I really need to because I don't feel like I'm making the progress I should be. I have lost 40 lbs and am down to 220. That's great! But it could be better if could only stop drinking coffee and alcohol. I think I'll concentrate on the alcohol and then try to drop the coffee.

On day I'll be in great shape bcause I'm not going back to that cooked poison again.

Health Kick

I'm starting a 3-day juice fast today to cleanse my body and mind as well as give my digestive/eliminative organs a break. I need my battery recharged.

Lots of physical activity and mental stress combined with some alcohol consumption has me feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. I'll use this oppurtunity to try to get off the coffee too.

I'll keep it simple and cheap. Orange and grapefruit in the AM. Carrot, beet, spinach or apple celery the rest of the day.

I'll take a nut mylk bag to work with me to make any necessary juices there.

Placemat, Wrath of the Grapes

Woke in the morning
With red lips
Cracked and split
Brushed and spit
Residues of the night
The fog slowly lifts
Lemon and rejuvelac
Bananas and cacao
Back to life now
Early afternoon
Half day gone
No sad song
Just the wrath of the grapes

What is that glow?

Raw foodies are so passionate about their diet. The food tastes so wonderful and it's soooo good for your body and mind and spirit. Is this for real? Do I have that glow?

I think I do. I think I'll ride my bicycle to work all week. Probably lose 5 lbs and another inch off my waistline. I can feel my entire ribcage. And what is this other bone? I don't remember having that there. Feels weird and out of place. My brain feels tingly when I drink that coconut juice. And that green stuff has me walking a foot off the ground. Why is this happening? Is it scientific?

Placemat #2

I started this blog as a journal of my life entering into a lifestyle of Raw and Vegan. It's as much for myself as anyone else; something to look back on as well as something current to keep me involved and motivated. I need constant motivation as being 43 years old, I'm very well entrenched in my behaiviors. For instance, when I'm bored or idle, as I am right now, I reach for food which leads to another behaivior of reaching for bad food which leads to eating some cheese or grabbing some chips with my guacamole.

Now, all in all, this is not an easy diet or way of life to begin with, and it's extra hard working in a bar-food situation. But it is important to me to overcome all this and move my mind into a state where it's somewhat unaffected by outside influences. In other words, I want to be free of the affect these influences have upon me. I'm not saying I want to free myself of these people as much as I just want to free my mind.

Free my mind of expectations.

Free my mind of behaivioral responses.

My mind can't be free until I let it be.

What did you say?

My wife and I've been doing these videos for her site, The Daily Raw Cafe.com. They're fun to do and inspirational to me, or maybe just motivational. And following this diet I think takes constant motivation. It is so hard. People ask me about it all the time since they've noticed my changing body. When I tell them what I eat, basically, they just look at me sideways and... "Well that diet won't work for me cause I gotta have my sodas." "Is a baked potato okay on the raw food diet?" The truth is what I tell them. You can eat whatever you want, but if you want noticable results, it better be raw and vegan. No Sharon, we do not put raw eggs in our smoothies.