Day 15

I'm back, alive and well! It's day 15, which means I am at least halfway through [if not more]! Except for that rocky part in the beginning, my fast has been basically uneventful, which I am so happy for. At this point I am able to settle in, relax, and absorb everything around me. I've also learned that as hard as it is for me to guzzle down enough water, I feel so much better when I'm hydrated.
I'm glad I went computer-less [although it's good to be back] and I might miss a day or two again before my fast is over. It gave me the chance to sleep and rest more, sunbathe, draw, journal, and even play some guitar. These last few days it has been hard to turn my mind off at night to fall asleep, but once I'm asleep, I sleep for a good 12 hours. My energy is slowly waning day by day, but the more tired my body gets, the more alert and aware my mind gets. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.

I'm a self-taught guitar player. That means I can play the same 5 songs like a pro. That's it.

We had some surprise guests come yesterday, fellow 80-10-10 teachers/authors Megan Elizabeth and Chris Kendall! I met them both at the Woodstock Fruit Festival where they presented and were co-chefs in the kitchen. They have also both fasted before. They will be spending a few days with us, and we are all excited to have them stay.

We are so glad to see these familiar faces! Glowing as always!

Megan is a self-taught raw vegan entrepreneur. To anyone interested in going raw [especially the ladies] who ask me about online resources, I always give them her website. She has written my absolute favorite recipe book around, Easy to be Raw, and has one of the most popular raw channels on youtube [also called EasyToBeRaw]. She has been hugely influential to me, especially when I first got started. She's been 80-10-10 for over 5 years.

Chris was a student of Dr. Graham's [like me!]. He works tirelessly to spread the raw vegan message, and is extremely generous with his time and resources. His website runs off of donations, and he holds various retreats throughout Costa Rica and Mexico. He also is a yoga instructor, enjoys skateboarding and surfing. He's been 80-10-10 for over 10 years. He's obviously suffering from a severe lack of protein. [Not.]

Jennelle and I have been talking a lot about how empowering it is to fast. We are doing things that we never ever thought possible. Every other day we turn to each other and say, "Oh my gosh. It's been __ days. We haven't eaten in __ days and we are still alive and feeling totally fine!!" Crazy! It used to be that if we skipped a meal we felt ravished and deprived. Now we know we can go home, skip a meal if need be, and there will be no problem.
For me, fasting has also built my mental resilience like nothing else. Any challenge that comes my way, I know I can face it. Any goal that I have I know I can reach. The longer I fast, the more I feel this strength growing...but the sooner I break my fast, the sooner I will be able to start accomplishing all of these things. It's a conundrum. I told Dr. Graham today, "I'm in your hands. I'll fast as long as you think I should. But whenever you want to pull the plug, I am ready." He laughed and said, "Your body is doing some serious work. Let's keep at it for a while longer. I'll let you know when."

A quick update on Jennelle: She hasn't bled from her endometriosis since day 2 [she went off her meds a week before that]. She wakes up every morning with soreness in her uterus, which usually goes away after about an hour. Her chronic migraines are toned down, but she is still experiencing some head pain. She's been keeping a daily vlog which I'll post a link to as soon as it's up.

The cats here can totally sense that Jennelle is a cat-person; they love her. They pine for her at our door every night and always jump on her lap during lecture.