Definitely eat more kale

I was excited about the five-day "nutrition intensive" at Kripalu beforehand, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I wasn't sure about all the hubbub about Kripalu, and half hoped it would be just okay so I could avoid raving about the place like everyone else does. You know. It's like I feel about the Uggs I'm wearing in this chilly kitchen as I type; they're so popular you almost don't want them to be as warm and cozy as they are. You're a little sheepish when you end up loving them. I felt that way about Kripalu.

When the course began, we wrote down our "intentions" (you're not allowed to take a course or workshop any more without writing down your intentions), and, in addition to learning all I could about holistic nutrition, all I wanted to do was to be fully present and to feel more relaxed each day. And when you write down your intention, well. You might as well check it off your list, because that's what you get.

So I had a wonderful time, felt more relaxed each day, and learned a crazy amount about nutrition from some teachers who know so much that that in itself was amazing. Most of my fellow students were either doctors or nurses, and I hoped no one was noticing the wisps of smoke coming out of my ears during a couple of the lectures. My brain was working so hard. My little nutrition flashcards I mentioned in the last post are like kiddie cards: "5+3" on one side, and "8" on the other. The lecturers are talking about glucagon, glycinate, glycation, gliadin, glutamine, glucosamine, and glycolosis, which to me is just gratuitously complicated, like George Forman giving all of his sons the same name. I followed along as best as I could, but sometimes I felt like that Will & Grace episode where Will, faking that he knows what he's talking about with a guy he wants to impress, rubs his chin and says, "Mmm, Mombasa."

Mmm, zinc glycinate, chelated.

True confession: When I'm in classes that really grab me, taught by someone who is extremely knowledgable, there is a little part of me that splinters off and starts to think, "Gee, I wish I knew all the stuff this person knows." It's a silly, self-defeating tussle. If that part of me would shush I would actually be a step closer to knowing what I want to know, and I could simply enjoy being in the presence of someone with a wealth of knowledge.

But Kripalu was great, and I was fully present. I felt more and more comfortable each day. For the first time in my adult life, I wasn't counting down to when I could go home. Because no one was home, and I wouldn't see Laura until the weekend anyway. That made it possible for me to just be where I was. This was new, and I liked it.

More soon, likely after the (happy) Thanksgiving onslaught. In the meantime, remember: if you eat animal products, you are what they ate. Try to find milk from Jersey cows. It is cleaner and tends to come from smaller farms. Most tree nuts don't have to be organic, but peanuts do. And if you have any smoked animal product, have some Vitamin C afterwards. It neutralizes the, um, it neutralizes something.

I'm thinking maybe I should try some Vitamin C for the smoke coming out of my ears.

Anyway, definitely eat more kale.