YOLO :: greensboro wedding photographer

My alternate title for this post was "What I Learned from Dr. Oz's 3 Day Detox that I Failed in Less than 12 Hours."

Seriously. I went into this plan with a positive attitude. I'd done all my shopping for it over the weekend, went to bed early on Sunday, and woke up yesterday morning all bright and cheery ready to get my Dr. Oz detox on with delicious, nutritious veggie smoothies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've been on a bit of a kick lately with my newfound interest in Bikram Yoga, and I thought this would be a great extension of becoming healthier.

I had my green tea with lemon first thing in the morning, followed by a smoothie that was really quite scrumptious. Then, lunchtime came along, and I made my second smoothie for the day - which I had some trouble actually getting down. Something about drinkable celery and kale, no matter how much fruit you try to mask it with, is not okay. I went to my afternoon yoga class, and by the time I got in the car, I was craving a cheeseburger so bad I could taste it. It's really not that I even eat that many cheeseburgers, but when I crave something, it's usually the greasiest, least healthy thing I can think of. My stomach was rumbling as I pulled into my garage, and I did it. I caved. I changed clothes, got back in my car, and went around the corner to Sonic to indulge in a cheeseburger AND tater tots. GO BIG OR GO HOME, RIGHT?

I justified it by saying things like, "Life's too short," "You only live once... YOLO!" and "Would I really want my last meal to be a smoothie that doesn't even taste good??". Was the problem that I just didn't have the will-power to do something for a mere three days? No - the problem was that my heart just wasn't in it... it wasn't something that I really wanted that badly. I may have been being a bit irrational, but all the things I was telling myself as an excuse to get out of continuing the detox were true.

Much like me depriving myself of what I really wanted to eat, we do this to ourselves every day. We sell ourselves short for safety and security's sake or by doing something that our parents and friends and textbooks and society tell us we should be doing, meanwhile we have this insatiable yearning deep in our gut for something that's better, something we truly desire. We try to ignore it or satisfy it with other "second best" things that are maybe more convenient or reasonable, but it doesn't go away unless you give in.

Whether it's spiritual, emotional, career-related, your true passion in life - whatever it is for you - you're hungry for a reason.

You may need some of the detox components to stay healthy (sure spinach and fruits and things like coconut water are good for you to incorporate into your daily life, and just like when I worked in an office at a job that wasn't fulfilling me, I still need established business hours and lunch breaks and I still have to answer emails), but you don't need to submerge yourself in a life of deprivation to best live. Life's too short to surround yourself with things that leave a bitter taste in your mouth or are so bland, that you couldn't possibly enjoy them. 

How much longer can you stand to hunger for that craving in your life?

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