Fasting for Freedom

i'm in the middle of my quarterly five-day fast. my intention during this, now, decade-old ritual, is to drink orange juice in the morning, organic juices & water during the rest of the day, in addition to snacking on fresh fruits & organic nuts. bcuz i live with a compromised immune system some folks are concerned about the physical challenges. but hey, like my former primary care physician once told me when i struggled, several yrs ago, with the decision to take hiv meds: its my body, my life, my choice.

how do i feel right now? anxious, confident, determined & proud of myself for doing what i've come to know is god's will for me. fasting has helped me build a more positive self-image. fasting inspires me to choose spiritually in my relationship with food. fasting teaches me self-discipline, a valuable quality lacking in my new way of life. in the spirit of unconditional loving acceptance, fasting has become a way of life for a brotha.

when i first started fasting i didn't ask for help nor know what i was doing. after three days i rewarded myself with some popeye's chicken - which sent me to the bathroom, calling ralph. since that nasty episode i've read some books, talked to others & worked closer with a loving god. depriving my body of food is often accompanied by light headaches, mild nausea and/or a sense of disorientation. i've learned to expect some discomfort yet not panic or bug the pluck out.

at the moment, janet jackson is singing younglove, from her debut album of the same name, on an old episode of soul train, which is now accessible on the centric channel. on the tennis channel, roger federer is playing marcos baghdatis in a highly-contested third round match of the indian wells classic. multi-channel surfing can be fun when you have a sony bravia 46' flat screen tv to play with.

as always, i'll break the fast at noon with a huge salad filled with almonds, bananas, croutons, raisins & walnuts. lata, around 3:00 pm, i'll walk to the uptown juice bar on 125th st & enjoy some broccoli, brown rice, vegetarian noodles & tofu. for someone raised on grease, sugar, pork & chocolate, who knew food could be exciting, fun & healthy? with freedom comes responsibility. fasting is a vehicle for growing into mature consciousness. but don't get it twisted: god has the keys to this ride...