40 Days

I just spent the last 40 days as a vegan. And surprisingly – I loved it!

The decision to make such a drastic change to my diet came as the natural evolution to my relationship with Baron Baptiste’s program, “40 Days to Personal Revolution” (based on his book with the same name).

The program uses yoga asana, seated meditation, a mindful diet, and probing journaling questions to guide participants towards a more authentic expression of themselves. I have taken part in, and more recently facilitated, the program several times over the last five years and each time it lands differently with me. This time (with a little urging from my co-facilitator and friend, Sally) I decided to “go vegan” for the entirety of the program.

Okay… Great so I didn’t eat animal products for forty days.

But why mention this on a blog about not buying anything new? Well, because the combination of this project and the 40 Day program proved to be both powerful and informative.

With the new restrictions to my diet, I immediately noticed how much time, money, and energy over the last year I’ve poured into food. Seeking it. Shopping for it. Reading about it. Preparing it. Eating it. Fantasizing about it.

Now, let’s get something straight… I LOVE FOOD! Always have.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize that my enthusiasm for it had shifted into an obsession over the past year. In the simplest terms, I had transferred my desire to shop – to accumulate – from “things” to food. (And to be completely honest, my waistline was starting to reflect this trend.)

A big wake-up call, for sure. And one I wouldn’t have heard without the combination of these two undertakings.

Maybe it’s because I’m sipping on the first coffee I’ve had in six weeks, but right now I’m filled with gratitude for this new awareness and for the opportunity to make some new choices.

(If you’re wondering, I plan to continue this vegan diet with a 90/10 approach. Similar to my thoughts on incorporating the things I’ve learned, thus far, from this year of nothing new into my post 2010 existence. My new mantra: Balance.)

~Stacey