The Beginning

Today is a very good day. As soon as I woke up, one thought screamed above the others that were mumbling of morning breath, how I loathe waking up, and my hefty to-do list for the day. In fact, that thought sat up, threw the covers aside, laughed, and practically sang, "I GET TO EAT FOOD TODAY!"

Now, I tend to wake up every morning with that thought. I love food. I'm a foodie. I bore my boyfriend Steve in the grocery store with constant chatter of food and food-related trivia. "It's funny; they always put the orzo with rice because no one knows that it's actually a pasta. Idiots." Or, "I can't believe they only have bok choy. I wanted baby bok choy." It's endless, and it's getting worse. However, this morning was special. It marked the end of six days of detoxing that included a nauseous-making mix of aloe vera juice, liquid chlorophyl, cascara sagrada, and psyllium husks. For meals, only bland smoothies with protein powder. For snacks, hot tea and chicken broth. Not my idea of good food. But today, I got to eat.

This was my third detox in a year, so I've gotten pretty good at predicting the horse-on-fire-stagecoach-is-going-over-a-cliff emotions that Steve and I will experience during the six days. Day one: hopeful optimism in the face of despair. Day two: absolute certainty that we cannot make it. But about day three, a new spark emerged than I had experienced in the past. I always become absolutely obsessed with what we'll eat after the detox. I thought we would take a day or two "off" from our workout of choice, P90X, and go nuts. That's the usual path of destruction. This time, however, I was having crazy thoughts that not just any food would do for the first day back in the land of the living. I didn't just want to eat food. I wanted to eat food that would feed my soul, renew my faith in humanity, and not make me gain back the seven and a half pounds I had lost on the detox. I resolved to stick to the P90X nutrition plan without feeling like I'm on a diet.

My resolution paid off today.

I had an inkling that it would as I gazed lovingly at the assortment of herbs resting on the pass-through to the dining room. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I had this moment standing there, taking in the aroma of fresh mint and rosemary. It suddenly occurred to me that I had to fight for beauty in my life. It's too easy to get lost in the mundanity of the everyday. If I don't occasionally use the coffee cup with the saucer, or put my herbs in glasses on pretty plates on the pass-through, nobody else is going to do it for me, and I'll be living life surrounded by the beige, drab, soul-sucking ordinary. I'll be Mr. Big trapped in the apartment with Natasha.

It was this thought and the Diana Krall station on Pandora radio that motivated me today. Which, as previously stated, was a very good day. There were so many little things that came unexpectedly. The rich, slightly bitter, slightly sweet taste of coffee after six days of not having it. The new toothbrush I found while preparing to bug-bomb the bathrooms that has the tongue and cheek scrubber on the opposite side of the bristles. Genius. The heaven-sent box of six lovely bottles of wine that interrupted my polishing of our stainless steel spice rack. Only a lobster gram can parallel the joy.

But mostly it was the food. For lunch, we had a picnic in my classroom, where I was getting a jump on the school year while Steve went to the chiropractor. I'm particularly proud of this meal because lunch is my biggest obstacle during phase one of P90X when Steve and I only get one carb a day. I found a recipe for lettuce wraps that I've made before and loved, but Steve finds lettuce wraps to be awkward food. I adjusted by making it into a salad: vibrant purple and celery-green lettuce topped with Asian-seasoned lean ground beef, julienned cucumber and red pepper, and finished with the homemade pickled carrot and onion that I made last night. In my rush to get it packed, I forgot to throw in cilantro, but there's always next time. Even without that herbaceous flavor, the salad was... so... good. I'm pretty sure Steve finished his, which was twice the size of mine (I'll refrain from the obvious comment about men and weight loss), within five minutes.

Dinner, which followed the Chest & Back and Ab Ribber workouts, was another jewel in my culinary crown. Filet mignon (thank you, Omaha Steaks, for your daily bargains) topped with a parmesan-rosemary crust (my own little touch), oven-roasted potatoes, and herb-roasted tomatoes. I'm always looking for a vegetable to serve with dinner that isn't green beans, asparagus, or salad. The tomatoes were really nice, flavored with basil, thyme, and garlic, and sweet and tangy at the same time. As I sat down to the meal and a glass of my new wine, I did something I don't normally do: I turned off the television and turned on some music. There's something about a filet of beef that just makes you want to eat at the table and listen to standards from the great American songbook.

I asked Steve at one point today if he feels like he's on a diet, and he answered with a resounding "no." Mission accomplished, ladies and gentlemen.

After dinner we went to the store for four much-needed items: a griddle pan, a skillet, a plastic spatula, and protein shakers for post-workout. We came out with a griddle pan, a new skillet, a plastic spatula, plastic tongs (for cooking turkey bacon), and a little gadget that runs on batteries, foams milk, and mixes protein (and sounds like it's up for a rip-roaring good time when switched on). I am now totally excited to cook egg whites and make skim milk lattes in the morning. Don't worry--there will also be veggie sausage patties, cheese, and english muffins involved.

Before I sneak upstairs and dream of tomorrow's exploits, I leave you with three lessons learned, or rediscovered, today:

1) Shiny things get shinier when wiped vigorously with a soft cloth.
2) An ounce of organization is worth a pound of peace of mind.
3) Consistent maintenance prevents massive overhaul.

And finally, to reiterate, for someone who may need it:

4) You have to fight for beauty in your own life. No one is going to hand it to you.