November is for “Renew”

November’s goal is all about “renewing.”  Renewing has several meanings including “to give fresh life or strength to something” or to “replace things that are broken or worn out.”   My goals included renewing my car in various ways to ensure it is clean and in great condition and renewing my relationship with my body by doing pampering and preventive maintenance there too.  I thought I could fit in renewing my home, but with being gone almost half of November, I decided to save that goal for another month.

I started off by making a list of those things I would like to do to renew my car and my body.  I tried to be gentle on the goals to encourage fun and success.  The car renewal was pretty straightforward.  I got two new tires and had the tires rotated and aligned.  I had an oil change and check-up and I had it cleaned from top to bottom at the Washman Car Wash on Glisan and 82^nd.  I actually dove into the glove box and the trunk and took everything out, then I sorted through items meant for the trash, Goodwill or to return to the car.  It isn’t often I have looked through every nook and cranny, but it felt good to clean at that level and to know what was where.  I like having a car that is clean and in good repair as that allows me to put my energy elsewhere.

Raw Cleanse Resources

When it came to my body, the list of things I wanted to renew was rather long.  The list included small niggley things like to trim and treat my hangnails (a never ending job) to bigger commitments such as finishing my three week raw cleanse.  Of all the body goals for sure the raw cleanse was most important.  Last Spring I did my first raw cleanse and in doing so, I pulled out books to support my journey.  From that I created my own program that has worked out well for me.  I do a 3 week cleanse using only raw foods (no cooked foods) and it starts with 1 week of juice, then week two salads, smoothies and whole fruits and vegetables are added in and in the final week nuts and seeds are added in.  Each time is a little different in how easy or hard it is, but every time when I look back at photos of myself I can see myself glowing at the end.  The cleanse clears out the mind, clears up the skin way better than any facial can, it opens up my intuition, and releases a lot of inflammation from my body giving me energy and a new focus.  While cleansing, I post pictures almost daily on Facebook to keep myself on track and to share how the journey is going.

Near the end of the Cleanse

I had some time left at the tanning salon, so I took on the goal of tanning 2-3 times in November and I was able to get 2 times in.  Somehow the light does help with those gray rainy days and my skin responds well to a little tanning.  I don’t want to ever tan so much that I begin looking like a cigar, but I think to stick with 2-3 times a month is a goal I want to carry forward.

Aromatherapy tea & Truffle

I also had some coupons and gift certificates for various body treatments, so I set up appointments for a foot spa day at Barefoot Sage using the gift certificates from my staff for my retirement and from my boss a while back.  I did the top of the line treatment that includes your choice of aromatherapy tea, a truffle or cookie, scented soaking salts, scented scrub, a nice long massage and that sense of cares being washed away.  Wow, I walked in kind of wound up, but left feeling so relaxed and carefree.  The feet do so much for us and in caring for them it feels honoring to the whole body.  A big thank you to Mandi and the Rockwood Nurse Treatment group for the pampering gift!

Nice ambience at Barefoot Sage

I had a Groupon for a colonic and decided to use it.  I had heard about colonics in the movie “May I Be Frank” so I wanted to try them.  This was my second one, but they were spaced a couple of months apart.  What I would say is I think diet and your own elimination are more important that having a colonic.  If you eat lots of meat and processed foods and have some back-up going on, you may get more from it than I did.  I personally did fine, but didn’t feel I got much from it, nor do I think that it is a normal process, but I am glad I tried it out to know if it was something to support my own health.

I wanted to get back to the gym after a full 3 years without even one visit.  I made the goal of going to the gym twice a week.  I know they say three times a week is important, but once again to me being gentle on myself and creating something I can feel success with is vital!  I also told myself that even if I spent 20 minutes at the gym, that would count as a visit.  Day one I could barely do 15 minutes on the elliptical and I was sweating more than usual.  By the third or fourth visit 20 minutes on the elliptical was only a slight effort.  I did some weight machines and gradually added in more machines and more reps over time.

My favorite Kombucha treat

I also used to go to the gym and then reward myself for that by going to the Bridgeport Brewery Bakery for a savory scone back before my diet was plant based.  Now I am rewarding myself with a 15 minute sauna after I work out and I also use that time to meditate (us Gemini’s like to find dual purpose events and meditation was another goal of mine).  If I need a treat, I now swing by Food Front and get a Synergy Cosmic Cranberry Kombucha to quench my thirst and fill me up.

Another goal was to ride a bike at least once.  Thanks to my friend Craig, I was able to get on an extra bike he has and ride it a mile.  While I enjoyed it, I know I don’t want to ride where there are cars, so for now I am not going to aim to get a bike, but I am hoping Craig and I can do some off road rides if that opportunity comes up.

Rode a Bike

And last, but not least, a goal I had was to get a tattoo.  I have been thinking about a tattoo for a couple of years and originally wanted one on my left wrist where I had broken my wrist.  Then the left inner forearm made more sense.   I wanted the word “Namaste” along with a lotus or two and some swirls.  It got to be a bit bigger than I had planned, but I like it and am now awaiting revealing it in a week or two once it is fully healed.  My tattoo represents a renewed way of seeing myself and expressing myself.  I love what Namaste means and that is how I want to live my life!

Namaste Tattoo

There were lots of great things that came out of the goal of renewal.  November also had some amazing trips which brought about new forms of renewal I had not fully considered.  They will be shared in my next blog in a couple of weeks.  Many of the goals above are ones to carry forward over time.  Each goal starts with an idea.  Some manifest, others morph and some get dropped along the way.  But, the person who has ideas and dreams will realize far more than the person who does not!  Here’s to renewal in each of our lives.  May we remain open to new ways of seeing and doing things!  Namaste ~ Kathy

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