And Just Like That

And with that, I'm sorry to say good-bye, because I won't see you on Monday.

And just like that, the final video message of the program ends.

Since May 8, I've heard, I'll see you on Monday and I'll see you on Friday every week. Sometimes it's been I'll see you tomorrow. This voice has been a companion, teacher, and coach. I've listened, I've argued, I've considered, I've released, I've taken in, I've risked, I've implemented. I've stayed open. I've adhered. Impeccably. 

And with that, I complete the WildFit Challenge. Thirteen weeks of learning new ways of being with my body, of being with food, of being with breath, hydration, sleep, movement, internal dialogue, choice. 

And so much more. My guess is, I will continue to discover how life-changing this experience has been, even beyond what I can see now, which is 

I am different.

Even with the food experimentation this week. Trying, say, chocolate, has not led to a chocolate cascade. One bite to another, to a trip to the chocolate shop for chocolate covered apricots, to the store for chocolate Haagen Das. And I've chosen better, more carefully. Trying cheese has not led to a cheese cascade, or even to a dairy cascade. No pizza. No fondue. No grilled cheese sandwich. I am quite happy with my coconut yogurt, a drizzle of honey, and a handful of nuts. And even to that I can easily say, "time to switch seasons."

Seasons, of course, are metaphors for ways of eating, for highlighting some nutrients while letting others rest a bit, for highlighting some body systems while letting others rest a bit. Like giving the pancreas a rest from constant sugar inundation. These metaphors follow the natural cycles of what is available organically on the earth. Since we're part of the organic system of the earth, part of the web of life, we've evolved to nourish ourselves with particular patterns. Stepping away from these patterns has been a function of our creativity and industry, not of the earth's. I'm not saying we should never eat off cycle or off of what the earth produces naturally, but we may be at our healthiest when we eat, for the most part, the ways we've evolved to eat.

Today at one there will be a final coaching call. A celebration. A time to pause and see how far we've come through the Green Wilderness. It'll be a celebration in the Wilderness, as we rest in this oasis and enjoy its refreshment. Then I strike off alone for the next 30 or so days of creating patterns that work in my life, cycling seasons to meet goals and work with my circumstances. Mindfully. With freedom. With choice. 

I think the freedom piece has been the most valuable for me, and the most stunning. I've broken the biological programming that has determined my food choices. I need to say that again. I've broken the biological programming that has determined my food choices. The thought moves over my consciousness like hot fudge over vanilla ice cream.

Haha. Food joke. It's the cherry on top.

The Green Wilderness is a daily writing practice that opens a landscape of discovery into my own human experience.

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.