Triage Is a Verb

This week is shaping up to be some kind of transition week. 

I'm reflecting on last week's food experiments as I'm on my own, away from the guardrails of a program and creating guardrails for a lifestyle. My body is pretty much screaming at me. I was warned. That the body, now clear of irritants and other non-supportive foods and substances, may have some strong messages to their reintroduction.

It does.

I've done Whole30 a few times and the reintroduction messages were softer. One month is one thing, but three months of vibrantly healthy eating habits and their effects on the body do not go unnoticed. I've learned the body, at least my body, loves that kind of choosing. It seems that my body this week is trying to detox with or without my assistance or leadership. 

It's slowed me down and called me to rest. To resume choosing wisely.

I am hearing the message and not resisting. I am not scheduling beyond what is already scheduled this week. I am slowing down the rhythm of my days and not trying to wedge things into the nooks and crannies. 

I've made a beautiful roasted red pepper soup and am having that with salads, nuts, and some occasional animal protein and berries. I am flushing my system with filtered water. Being mindful about the breath and practicing a round of five cleansing breaths at least twice a day.

I've looked ahead to Thursday's get together with friends at a restaurant in Washington, checked out the menu on the website, decided which salad I'm going to have and the substitutions I'll ask for, made a note to myself to make and bring my own dressing. Talked to myself about having sparkling water instead of Prosecco.

The impulse to downshift is being challenged by things that are presenting as urgent, but really are not. So I triage. And I move what can wait, to later in the week or to next week. It leaves room to attend to what may be truly necessary in the moment. And most of what is truly necessary in the moment is my own self-care.

At some point, we need to put ourselves first.

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.