6 days and 4 pennies

I found four, face-up pennies today - three were on separate sequential steps in a stairwell and the other lying on the sidewalk on the Yesler bridge over I-5.

I can't help but think that perhaps my raw diet (the picture above is dinner) contributed to the clear and observant state of mind I was in that led to me noticing pennies on the ground, twice.  I picked them up and put them in my pocket.  I valued those pennies. I'm six days in and committed.  The green goodness in my glass consists of -

four leaves of lacinato kale
 half a granny smith apple
 half a ripe bosc pear
 a cup-ish of green cabbage.

If I hadn't been so hungry and impatient when I made the smoothie, I also would have added a chunk of fresh ginger.

It tastes refreshing, subtly sweet, and surprisingly not a hint of the bitterness I would expect from anything containing leafy greens.

I felt a dull ache in my head over much of the weekend; my energy was sluggish until Sunday evening, I physically felt little hunger and had a large emotional appetite.  It took me a couple of days of paying attention to why I wanted to eat when I did, to discover when my body needed nourishment and when my mind was trying to sneak one in on me.  Overall, its been easier than I anticipated to eat raw.  Its becoming an adventure in trying something new and letting go of what I think about how I'm supposed to eat and what is healthy for me.  Fixed ideas get in my way of where I'm trying to get to, and that place is actually right where I am.  Often, I just don't know thats where I really want to be.

Being comfortable being present is hard; without some kind of food additive, stimulant, or depressive (or other kind of stimulant or depressive), my mind has nothing to deaden this human experience - the one in which a myriad of emotions flush my system constantly - if I could ride out the initial rush, I know calmness will return, cleaner and clearer.   If it was that easy, I probably wouldn't be thinking about or talking about it.

 On Saturday I made homemade almond milk - was delicious.  1/4 cup almonds soaked for 6-7 hours, 2 cups water, a dash of maple syrup (or not).  Last night I made homemade 'energy balls' with ground pumpkin, flax, and salba seeds, with almonds and dates.  I'm having fun experimenting with foods that are new to me.  Making mental notes of what trials from this experiment I want to repeat when its over.   I've noticed a shift in my perception of and appreciation for the energetic qualities of raw, unprocessed foods.

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 3 Summits fun from the weekend - on Saturday I went on a training hike in the rain to Rattlesnake Ledge  with a fellow climber, Leigh, and a friend she went to Nepal with last year - they helped build one of the schools that previous 3 Summits climbs funded.  Listening to Leigh and Alicia talk about Nepal inspired  me to visit; trekking in the Himalayas is certainly a dream and to have a personalized motivation to go makes a trip seem like it could happen one day.   My activities were adequately fueled by the raw foods I ate over the weekend - one notch on the climbing-Rainier-is-possible-on-an-exclusive-raw-food-diet post.