And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. —Nietzsche

Imagine that you took a leap into the unknown and transformed your life. One day you woke up feeling bliss in the belly of your belly and you finally recognised that you were happy. Imagine thanking the sky for its endless stretch of perfection and watching gum leaves sip fat lemony sunshine with astounded wonder. Can you imagine it?

Imagine thinking that a glass of wine is one of the great pleasures in your life and then getting sober and discovering layers of pleasure, like a sunk swimming pool in your heart that you never knew existed. You lost weight without ever being hungry and the food you ate was so nutritionally packed that you discovered energy levels that were like pulsing currents of electricity coursing through your body. Imagine being smaller and lighter and yet feeling big and worthy for the first time in a really long time. Just imagine it!

Imagine your surprise when you realized that not everyone could be happy for you. Family members roll their eyes because you don’t eat fruit. Your research is received skeptically and flatly disbelieved. Despite taking health and wellness into your own hands you are told that wellness is just about moderation or it is many things and really you have been on holiday for months, of course you feel well. Can you imagine?

When I gave up alcohol for life, I did so in a society awash with booze. I prepared myself for a knee jerk reaction to my sobriety because I was told to. It never happened. I have had so much love and support for my adventures in sobriety. Friends touchingly make me iced tea, or stock up on mineral water. Diet on other hand, well, that is a different story.

I have been so disappointed by reactions from some people. Because I feel so well, I am constantly expecting back slapping support from those around me. That’s my ego, it needs a little pat.

Imagine thanking the sky for its endless stretch of perfection and watching gum leaves sip fat lemony sunshine with astounded wonder.

With the help of Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now I am able to understand that when I encounter resistance my ego swells with indignation. If I take a moment to observe my reactions, what Tolle refers to as “watching the thinker” I am able to label that thinking as pure ego and very unhelpful. When people react strongly it is really about them, that does not mean it does not hurt. Of course it does. You feel the hurt, you recognize it for what it is and you continue on your own journey. We are all, billions of souls wandering aimlessly, led by our hearts and egos. We all experience dramas and fissures but we do get to choose how they affect us.

 

I observe my indignation to a throw away comment around my decisions about food. I observe the huge weight of disappointment that follows. This is a cosmic snowball going backwards because it collects any past slights that this person has made in the past. My mind wages a Kafka-esque trial against this individual over the following days. Here’s the thing. I love this person.

If you can catch yourself in the middle of this madness and tune into the love, the ego is silenced and smothered. Where the mind goes energy flows. I am an emotional, hyper sensitive ego led failing human, I cannot always manage it. When I do, there is calm clean light where before there was noisy static energy.

Imagine thinking that a glass of wine is one of the great pleasures in your life and then getting sober and discovering layers of pleasure, like a sunk swimming pool in your heart that you never knew existed

In the end not having support for my particular lifestyle choices is completely irrelevant to my lifestyle choices. As Katherine Hepburn said “If you do what interests you at least one person will be pleased”.

I am posting a recipe for rustic bliss balls. While I was travelling and living without electrical kitchen appliances I made bliss balls with nuts roughly pounded in my mortar and pestle. I discovered that I enjoy them so much more this way, the texture is wonderful, and I still make them like this, just whizzing a few of the larger nuts in the food processor. I am trying to avoid the large spikes in blood sugar caused by fructose, so I do not use dried fruit, and prefer rice malt syrup as a sweetener. I made these today as a post half marathon treat which I completed this morning with a huge sense of achievement.

Rustic Bliss Balls

=R1=

Enjoy x