It’s My Birthday

At midnight tonight I will again Stop Being Sweet. I was going to allow myself one ice cream cone in 2007 (when the new Ben and Jerry’s ice cream store opens in The Pearl District near my home) but after eating sweets for the past four days I don’t want B&J’s ice cream.

However, there is one sweet thing I will eat this year. My grandmother taught me how to make biscotti years ago. I asked her if they were healthy and she said, “Sure, you could eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

Now I don’t recall my grandmother to be facetious, but it’s possible I was too young to recognize sarcasm. In any case, I long ago decided to take her word for it and will give myself one caveat by modifying the sugar portion of the recipe (perhaps with small does of honey) and allow myself to eat the “treat” of biscotti only if I bake them by hand myself—the process takes all day.

Consider this my resolution manifesto for 2007:

1. Stop Being Sweet
To Stop Being Sweet means to cut out all refined and processed sugars. It also means to avoid food products with a long shelf-life and to stand up for myself.

2. A Disciplined Daily Practice.
Every single day I will do (at least some form of) Tai Chi, Qigong, and/or Yoga.

3. Help People to Stop Being Sweet
By creating this site, facilitating meetings, and creating a venue for people to find a supportive sugar-free community, I will help those who want to change their lives for the better.

4. Create not Destroy
I will not binge on sweets next year between Halloween and my Birthday. Instead of breaking myself down (someone said it’s like an alcoholic celebrating a year of sobriety by getting drunk) I will do something positive for myself and the community.

5. Allow this discipline to spill into all areas of my life.
I will be more productive and make a positive difference in the world by creating and telling stories. 

Previous/Next Post

← Connecting to a Sense of Community
→ Glass Stomach