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View Full Version : Frankie_B, age 29, Level 1 testimonial - my path to health!


Frankie_B
11-28-2003, 12:05 PM
Hi everyone! :)

I am actually returning after 2 months of completing level 1 to write this testimonial, so the effects of the fast on my life have taken shape somewhat..and i am seeing how it has effected me further down the road.

For me, this experience was something i really wanted for myself, and i had been contemplating it for ages. i was able to take a week off work and do the cleanse alone at a beach house, which was perfect! That one week was an education for me on so many different levels. And subjects. I learned about my body, about food, diet, health, about being peaceful, alone, disciplined, in control, relaxed..it was my own personal retreat from the busy lifestyle i live here in new york. I really needed it, it did fantastic things for me, and it was truly amazing. i think back to it as the week where I was the most composed, peaceful version of me..serene daughter of my deepest self.. the one who holds healthy mind and body above all else..is at peace..and doing things the right way. for myself. The clarity and energy that i felt on the 4th day of my cleanse were incredible..that breakthrough from the first few days of the fast, that was a sample, i believe, of the pure, energized, feeling of health that i was striving for. And will continue to do so, into level 2.

Inevitably, though, i have found it hard to carry it through into my everyday life. post-cleanse has been challenging. I guess that by removing myself from my normal routine and doing the program out there at the beach - despite how much i believe in it - it's been hard to bring it back to my normal daily routine/life. going to the beach was like going to a retreat for a week. i have not been able to truly bring that back...

But! What this means is that i have reached the stage where i am learning the most important lesson of all! During my one week of fasting i could see and feel the effects of what i was doing, it was a week of serious focus. it was ALL about that. But post-clease is where it becomes about self-discipline, and adhering to the lifestyle choices that i have made, and the things that i believe in, and all the things that i have learned here at HPS. in the face of all my daily distractions and temptations, i have to try and stick to it. it's like re-programming myself. and it's hard!

For a while, i was eating all the right things, taking more time for myself.. practicing the yoga that i like, which definitely helps, and is in tune with everything that I learned. but all my efforts to do so were eventually lost amidst the noise and the haste here. and i did become very disappointed with myself. And then came the chicken sandwich incident. Two weeks ago, I found myself in a bar, drinking a beer, waiting for a friend to go see a movie with me..and I was eating a chicken sandwich and French fries. I honestly barely EVER order things like that. I just wasn’t thinking, had to quickly grab something to eat..menu was fairly limited.. and I had one of those moments of intense realization, and awareness: how could I have become so disconnected from myself, and be so far from the person in the beach house 2 months ago?? chicken sandwich?? french fries????!! it really shocked me, realizing how i had completely lost touch with myself. From then on, i have been starting to think more...picked up my copy of TofHSL..and finally made it back here to the forum. I'm happy that i did.

Despite these post-cleanse weaknesses, I can definitely attribute some good, clear-headed decisions recently to have come out of my one week of reflection and fasting. had i not taken the time out and taken stock of my life, things might be different. or - the same! i have moved on to bigger, better things since then and have a new job starting soon. A one week fast can definitely mark the beginning of a new chapter in your life, if you want it to. when I did it, I was looking for that. there were changes in my life, a relationship had ended, and I wanted to pull everything together, reflect a bit, be peaceful and healthy, clean out my body of some of it’s toxins and abuse..this I achieved, 100%.

I also learned a lot about what my body likes and doesn’t like to eat. And as we all know here, there’s no question that the things you eat, and the way you eat them, affect your health. Cleansing is a wonderful thing to do for your body. Despite my weakness lately, I realize that I know a lot more now. I am looking forward to doing level 2, and bringing that knowledge and awareness back to the FOREFRONT again. And adding to it! Next time I will not leave my daily environment/routine while fasting, and I’d like to think that I might find it easier to stick with post-cleanse that way.

Anyway, back to what i was saying about how i was disappointed with myself. i almost didn't want to come in the forum and say, 'hi, everyone, yep - i blew it! never stuck with it!"... and i felt this way for several weeks. but then i realized that was ridiculous, because of how supportive and wonderful everybody here is...but sometimes it's hard to manage a personal defeat. i was secretly mad at myself. :mad:

Anyway, in light of all this, I recently had a mind-boggling revelation! Pretty simple, but very important to remember, at all times. Are you ready? Here it is:

Just because you fall from the path, there's nothing to stop you from getting back on it!

and here ends my testimonial. :cool: i think i've said everything i needed to say. Except :D THANKYOU:D to everyone that helped me with my fast, and for all the tips, and compliments, and jokes, and everything that you gave me in the forum. And i hope any new person reading this will see that it might be a challenge here and there, more so to some than to others, but to make this effort to take charge of your health is worth so much. do this programme. learn about yourself! I did.

Michelle_M
11-28-2003, 07:22 PM
Frankie,

Well, welcome to post cleansing and all the ups and downs that we've all experienced. You are absouletly right about getting back on the path. That's all this program is about - being aware that YOU are the one who is in charge of your health and now you have lots of information on how to do that. Even now going into my level 4, I'm still learning like crazy and still making mistakes. This is an incredible journey and it's very worth while. You are doing a great job, and the guilt and all the other stuff you have experienced with post cleansing is all part of the process. All that will be worked out if you keep on the path. I no longer beat myself up when I don't practice all I know, all I do is get back on task. Take care and keep on the boards. We all need you and you need us to keep you focused.

Your friend,
Michelle_M

Louise_L
11-28-2003, 09:41 PM
Frankie,

It's so good to hear from you. I was thinking of you yesterday and intended to send you an email. And now, here you are. Wonderful. You have been missed.

Stop with the guilt already. You are supposed to do all this with no expectations. And definitely no perfectionism. Level 1 is just Level 1. You are not supposed to get everything right just because you did Level 1.

Every cleanse does take you to a higher level, and I'm sure if you think about it, you will see that you are not the same as before the cleanse. I could go back and quote you -- you listed quite a few things that changed for the better. But you were not supposed to become perfect.

Stop thinking about what you haven't done and focus on all the good changes. You learned a lot, and your life is taking more positive directions. Celebrate them and give yourself credit for all your efforts.

Level 2 is great. It will solidify things and get you straight on the path. It is also where things start to get interesting. Jos-hua has quite a few resources waiting for you at the advanced levels.

Just do it. And whatever you do, don't be a stranger. You have so much to give.

Louise_L

Jos-hua Medicine man
11-28-2003, 11:08 PM
Namaste Frankie,

Ah, we all missed you!
Good to read you... lovely testimonial. Thanks.

I could write so much, so I won't. Just so happy to see you here and look forward to your journeys this coming year. I hope HPS will be a big part of it. Everything you wrote is right on... we all have and are going through it... it's called taking responsibility for our health and well being.

It's a shame no one ever taught us how to do it when we were in high school.

Blessings Frankie, I'm so delighted to read what you wrote... sounds just right to me. I hope it inspires others to join us for some online guided cleansing. Forge on cleansing friend.
:D

I'll end this post with todays Daily Inspiration... us HPS cleansers see them daily, but the general public doesn't have access to this forum, so for their benefit and yours I copy it here....

=====

"Achievement seems to be ..."

Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.

- Conrad Hilton

=====

Frankie_B
11-29-2003, 04:40 AM
..don't know how i managed to stay away for so long when i come here and read you guys. it's truly a great thing that everyone does for each other in this forum..thanks for your replies. happy to hear see you and hear what you hve to say.

and yes, i am starting to understand just how vast an undertaking this is, and how much more there is to learn, how much further there is to go.. and thanks for the reminder of not to indulge in the guilty feelings. i am looking forward to what comes next.

and Louise, i was also thinking of you a couple of days ago. but you know why. ;)

will now go on my rounds and make up for absence by bombarding everyone with greetings and wellwishes.

by jove, it's good to be back!

:p

frankie

Tsang_Y
11-30-2003, 01:46 AM
Frankie,

So good to see you back here. You have probably encapsulated all one will experience on the cleansing path - on it, fallen off it, the lucky ones get back on again, and the enlightened ones stay on and help others to get on.......

We all from time to time order our "chicken sandwiches and french fries". I've had mine. And you're so right with "nothing to stop you from getting back on again". Welcome back.

Tsang_Y

David_T
11-30-2003, 09:28 AM
Hey Frankie :D

Lovely testimonial. Real, honest, insightful and inspiring!

You are right where you are supposed to be... doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. ;)

There is no other way to experience this ... if you don't struggle and fall, you don't really own it.

Perfection is a flawed idea. Life has too many bumps. You are learning loving kindness for yourself -- that is a path that leads off into the distance and has no end point.

Continue the path.

Love and light,


David

Janaka_P
12-01-2003, 01:03 PM
Thanks, Frankie for your heartfelt post. You are learning a lot, moving forward on the “path.” This helps me in my approach to my postcleanse.:)

Julee_T
12-01-2003, 10:28 PM
Frankie, you will definitely help a lot of people with your honest heartfelt post. Remember girl, its babysteps in the beginning. I think of all of the things I've learned the one thing that I most cherish is self forgiveness - first - and tolerance of course. I more freely accept and love others when I am able to give to myself first. You've done a wonderful job and thanks for sharing!

And a chicken sandwich and french fries isn't so bad, I'll bet there were bits of raw celery and onion in there! See, not so bad. :D

Joy_M
12-04-2003, 04:01 PM
You got it Frankie. One of the greatest things you can get from cleansing (besides a clean body and mind) is to stop beating up on yourself for past transgressions. A chicken sandwich is just a chicken sandwich...unless you make it more than that. Its all about the love.................................joy

Lacey_B
12-04-2003, 07:31 PM
Frankie-

That was a great testamonial! And I congratulate you for having the courage to return and be so open and honest. I think we all fall off sometimes- but the healing comes when you can move on and get back on the path!!

I'm glad to hear of your wonderful experiences!


Love,
LAcey