Sugar Fast Day 7
Today is day 7. It’s been a week!! That statement can actually be taken in a couple of different ways. Boy, has it been a week for sure… cravings, challenges, mood swings, and more. But on the other hand, wow it’s been a week! We’ve been on this journey together for 7 whole days already. We’re doing this! How are you?? How’s your physical being feeling? Your psychological self? Your emotional and spiritual well-being?
As I sip on my coffee this morning and read my devotional, I’m feeling a bit more at ease. The chains that have been binding me and holding me back are beginning to loosen. I stay at home with my kids and at times get so stuck in the craziness that it can become paralyzing, and I lose perspective. It’s almost like my brain becomes so clouded with the chaos of it all that obvious solutions to simple problems transform into trying to figure out how to solve a Rubik’s Cube.
One of the many amazing things this sugar fast tends to do for me, and I hope that it does for you as well, is that it begins to get me unstuck and brings me much needed clarity. And today seems to be the day where this clarity and freedom begin. For instance, many mornings I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to: get the kids ready, unload the dishwasher, make the beds, make breakfast, clean up from breakfast, do endless amounts of laundry, and so on. Wait?! Did I even remember to brush my teeth in that mix?! Eeeeik! I’m doing one thing and then have to stop because one of the kids needs me, so I start something else because now I’m closer to that and then someone poops… or screams… or falls… or is sitting in the bathroom sink with an open tube of toothpaste. Ahhhh! And I start to go crazy. Can you relate to this in some way? We get stuck in the thick of it all.
I’ve mentioned this before and will definitely continue to bring it up throughout our fast: this fast makes us aware of how important it is to slow down. And it’s in the slowing down that we become aware of some habits that need to be cut off or, on the other hand, developed. A year ago at this time I was allowing myself to get stuck in the thick of it so much that I couldn’t hear the desperate call to ensure I was making strides to keep my mind, body, and heart healthy. Filling myself up so that I would be able to pour out to those around me.
Most days when I wasn’t teaching a class, I’d head out for a run or walk with the double stroller and leash. But I’d never fully get unstuck. And then clarity came and bopped me on the head. I suddenly remembered I needed a moment completely to myself, and I could go to the gym, drop off the kids at the childcare, and have a moment… for myself. How can a person forget this?! But it’s so easy to when your head is full of cotton balls. So that’s why this gift of clarity is such a beautiful thing!! I began to tweak my daily routine and found something that would help fill me up. I discovered something that needed to be changed in my rhythm of daily life.
It’s amazing how important those first few steps are and how altering your daily rhythms can profoundly change the trajectory of your life. Let it be known that I’m still in the thick of it most times and continue to get derailed often, but it’s the peace and clarity in the midst of it that I have nurtured just a bit more. Yes, it’s taken a year and will continue to take time, because it is a journey, but it’s incredible to see all that has come from this seemingly small change.
No matter what chaos you are dealing with in this life, because we all have it in some form or another, I hope that today brings you that much needed clarity we all yearn for. I hope if you are feeling stuck, that today is the day the glue will come undone. You’ve got this GB!
-Tara xo
Gnarly Things To Check Out
Tip: Make sure you are checking in on all aspects of yourself during this fast. I encourage you to document it somehow, whether it be a few lines scribbled on a notepad, a lengthy journal entry, a couple of thoughts in the note section on your phone, words in the margin of your devotional-whatever suits you.
Book: The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest
