Sunday, June 14, 2009

The Road Not Taken


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

I had some time to think yesterday, a lot of time as I was traveling alone most of the day. I was thinking about this blog, my first blog, Gluten Free Heaven, and how great I feel. I have tons of energy in the mornings and go all day long until 10:00 pm. Every once in awhile I over do it and I am surprised when I feel tired and sleepy in the afternoon (but I do listen and slow down). This is a very sharp contrast to 5 years ago, when I couldn't make it through the day without a 2 hour nap. I had so many unexplained health issues; dry skin, intense sugar cravings, water retention, a swollen abdomen, depression, hair loss, arthritis, low energy, abdominal pain and the list goes on. How thankful I am for this journey and where it has taken me. This experience has become sacred to me. My body has become hallowed ground. I never hesitated that this or any diet would be too hard, I jumped in hoping for relief. It has been a huge change for my family, 2 of my 4 children are now eating gluten free, we rarely go out to eat, it is not easy, but very worth it.

How do you express thanks for such a life changing experience? How do you share with other people your excitement without becoming totally annoying? I want to stand on my rooftop with a megaphone and tell the world how wonderful things are, funny thing is they wouldn't understand. It really has been an experience meant for me, there are not words to express my joy. I cringe when I see the people in my life load up on morning coffee (3 cups) just to get moving and fill their day with caffeine and/or sugar just to get through. They push their bodies, refusing to listen. Then they take medicine to mask the damage and keep on going, how bad will the pain have to be before they will they finally listen? The way they see it these toxins are their friends, they can't make it through the day without them.

One thing I have learned the hard way is that if they won't listen to their own body screaming at them all day they won't listen to me. Becoming aware of my body, I have become more aware of the world around me, the temperature outside after a rain storm, the intense green of the mountains this Spring, the baby birds in the nest on my porch, It all keeps telling me to slow down, cut back, take the time to enjoy right now. Which is exactly what I am doing. I look forward to each day with gratitude in my heart.

9 comments:

  1. BLESS YOUR HEART! I sooo know how you feel! What a difference life is when you finally feel good!!! It's as if life completely changes - and everything becomes amazing! I try to give gratitude and appreciation everyday - and if I'm having a challenging day, I look around me...there is always something to be grateful for...a beautiful flower, my home, my family - there is always something. So happy for you that you are doing so well! Ina from the Westcoast

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  2. Ina I so much appreciate your comments, thanks for taking the time to let my know you understand. How did your yogurt turn out?

    Karen

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  3. Hi Karen - luv the yogurt! And did'nt get sick!
    Also have the whipping cream ready in the fridge - can't wait. On my way to an organic strawberry farm, making jam, then the flourless cake you made the other day with whipping cream and strawberries - wooohooo! Thanks for all of your recipes! Ina

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  4. Hi Karen - just had the chocolate flourless cake with scd whipped cream and strawberry coulis. Lord have mercy! This is beyond delicious and decadent! I can feel the lbs. accumulating in my waist and hips - it will take extreme discipline to keep me away from this!!! Best desert I have had in yrs. Have not had whipping cream in 15 yrs! Thanks soooo much for the recipe! Ina

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  5. 15 years? What is your story Ina? You can e-mail me privately if you don't want to post it here. Kbaldwin1492@yahoo.com

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  6. I am always happy to find another SCD site, especially one with lots of recipes. I am very happy to find the diet too and the difference it's made for us. My son'e autism didn't respond to a normal gfcf diet(although he turned out to have severe gluten issues), three weeks into the SCD...and "Hello I'm back". I loosely follow the SCD for myself. I figured out my autoimmune issues were caused by gluten and bakers yeast. I had to learn the SCD first for my son before I could do gf for me. When I started doing gluten free, I found I felt better on the SCD (turns out I have Celiacs and Crohn's). I do ok on limited gluten free grains, too many and I feel like I'm going to starve to death. So it's always nice to find a similar blogsite.

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  7. Glad you found this blog Tracee, and I am glad too you have found what works for you and your son. Best wishes.

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  8. I'm so glad that you are feeling better. Every symptom that you explained above (and I realize this was years ago!), remind me of Hashimoto's or Hypothyroidism. I have Hashimoto's disease. Many people go years and years with being misdiagnosed or more typically doctors run a million tests but find nothing at all. Commonly we are misdiagnosed with Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia when they don't know what to do with us anymore. Do you have celiacs? A lot of people with Hashi's have celiacs too and most of us have major food intolerance's and going gluten free and more better, grain free make us feel a lot better! You mentioned hair falling out which is a classic symptom of Hypothyroidism. I was misdiagnosed for over 15 years as having anxiety and panic disorder and heart problems, but then finally went to a Naturopathic doctor who listened to me and ran tests for Hashimoto's disease, and there you go. I feel a lot better on the SCD diet too. I had terrible terrible D and was very ill and loosing a ton of weight but all tests kept coming back normal, even the Celiacs and wheat allergy tests. But I went SCD and my D stopped in days and I've been getting better ever since. It wasn't just diet though, I've had to treat my thryoid (That's what Hashimoto's is, an autoimmune disorder of your thyroid), Canidida and bacterial infections in my tummy, and adrenal dysfunction. But SCD is great for ALL of those issues and everything is coming together. I love your blog and your recipes! It's my favorite SCD blog!

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  9. Hi Timber,
    I appreciate your comments. I have never thought about Hashimoto's or Hypothyroidism, can you explain the testing for these? Is it covered in my basic blood work?

    Thanks again,
    Karen

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