I’m up to 15 Tibetans a day!

I’m pleased with my progress post fast. And though all things aren’t perfect—today has been a struggle with depression, for instance—I feel like I am getting better and stronger. Maybe one of these days I’ll even give the bionic man and woman a run for their money.

Yesterday, for the first time since the fast, I loaded the dog in the car and took him to the start of the mild climb up to the town’s fire tower. It’s a short walk and not much of an uphill march since most of the ascent is by car to the trailhead. The tower itself was closed. I must admit that we didn’t walk the final 30 feet since the grasses were overgrown in the clearing. Afraid of ticks, am I.

Can't see the forest for the ticks

Today on my way back from grocery shopping I stopped at a quarter-mile trail down a small embankment to see some magical old growth trees. The wooded path was clear, but anytime my dog and I encountered even the slightest opening in the canopy, grasses and other brush emerged. I found one tick on my pant leg and calmly removed it, but promptly turned around with only a quick general hello to the trees.

I had hoped to stop and enjoy their presence. But ticks and I do not mix. And though I didn’t outright panic, I had a bit of a fight on my hands, trying to remain positive and not fall further into depression. At the car I found no ticks, but that hasn’t stopped my body from itching ever since—and that was almost three hours ago.

The power of positive thoughts

On my drive home, I began by breathing in the depression and breathing out joy, compassion, and love, but reasoned I needed some of that positive energy internalized, so I ended up breathing in a bit of it for myself too. I didn’t release the depression energy into the world, instead owning it and winning it over with a positive attitude. It worked. By the time I returned home I was feeling better. And right this moment I’m feeling much better. It also helped landing on a positive title for my blog post.

We really are what we eat

Last week’s fast triggered symptoms of interstitial cystitis. I hadn’t experienced pain in my bladder since 2012. The moment I realized my body was in trouble, I adopted my restrictive, acid-free diet (available HERE), though without the dairy products, which I haven't been able to tolerate since giving them up during my first bout with Lyme a few years ago. I was feeling better within 48 hours, and have already been able to add back many of the foods I love.

My theory is that I may have pumped a wee bit too much lemon and/or vinegar water into my otherwise empty belly. The next time I pursue the three-day fast I will definitely commit to drinking only water—no caffeine or additives of any kind.

I had hoped to have typed up my first few post-fast days by now. I will get to that soon. For now, it’s time for dinner. And I’m happy to be able to eat it!

Note: The title refers to the Five Tibetan Rites exercises of Yoga poses that are completed in sets of three up to as many as 21 at a time, explained a bit HERE and on several other sites. I've done these nearly daily since the beginning of the year after choosing this as one of my New Year's Resolutions. Over the past several months I built up my number of repetitions to 21, but that number dropped during the fast and in post fast. I hope to build up to 21 again soon. I also hope to do these daily the rest of my life. I tend to follow my Tibetans with meditation, another reason I am so devoted to my daily practice.