Doing the Right Thing Isn’t Always Easy

Apparently, I’m unable to focus my blog on a single subject. I’ve tried numerous times since mid-2011 … and failed every time. If I can’t share what I want when I want, I get bored. And when I’m bored, I don’t feel like blogging. So I’m not just going to focus on writing. I love sharing the sneak peeks of my stories. The character profiles? Not so much. At least not for secondary characters. Those would be considerably shorter because, well, they’re not my main characters.

I also enjoy sharing my thoughts, stuff that’s going on in my life and with my family … and anyone who’s stuck with me knows I love to share information about good health and all things gluten-free and relating to the thyroid.

So I’m just going to keep doing that, especially since I’m making some big changes for my health again.

About a month ago, I confessed to spending most of the past eighteen (or more!) months eating gluten-containing foods. But even after realizing it was the biggest cause for the extreme fatigue I’ve been dealing with this year, I couldn’t force myself to give it up again. Not even after announcing what a wimp I am in my November 5th post.

So I kept adding to my gluten-free food stash, hoping that seeing the boxes and bags of foods I’d grown accustomed to over the past several years would help get me on track again. But making a major change in your diet can be difficult, especially when the foods you’re eliminating taste better and are a lot cheaper?

Unfortunately, there was no getting around the fact that I’ve been feeling awful. For months and months. I tried to blame it on having a baby (now a toddler) in the house again but that wasn’t it. Not even with Aria’s crazy schedule - because it pretty much lined up with my crazy schedule.

It’s the gluten - and I know it.

So I finally put on my big girl panties … and gave it up again yesterday. Two days off it now and while I’m not noticing anything dramatic, the feeling that my lungs are burning, that the Hulk is squeezing them after eating gluten and walking anywhere was greatly reduced today.

I’m keeping a journal I’ll be sharing here. Stop rolling your eyes, please. My experiences may well help someone going through the same kind of thing. There’s also the fact that it’s because of old blog posts about my gluten-free journey that opened my eyes to the fact that this time, since March of 2015, I’ve been making a conscious choice to damage my body.

And so I’m not going to do that anymore. Is it fun? Nope. Do I dread the reactions of family and friends who always acted like I was being a paranoid diva about food? Yup. Will I enjoy going to family potlucks and having to pass on lifetime favorites? Not at all.

Will it be worth it to feel better again? To be able to concentrate enough to write more? You betcha!

Seems kind of appropriate given that dealing being gluten-free is a huge mountain in my life - and one I should have conquered by now.