today is day two of a spring cleanse of my insides. this time i am not doing the master cleanse, which i do love. me and sweetheart are doing a veggie cleanse, basically raw veggie juices and heated veggie purees. anyone who knows me knows this is a bit terrifying since i am allergic to…everything. apple skins, pear skins, almonds, cashews, macadamias, carrots, tomatoes, and more. but, skin the apples, juice it with beets, ginger and celery? and i’m fine! carrots in veggie broth with garlic and ginger stewed until its nearly mash and then blended? mmmm. we’ve steamed some broccoli and asparagus along the way, and today went for a swim which i much needed. i was swimming every day for nearly a month, then went to bermuda…

this past weekend was one of the most challenging and interesting of my facilitation life. i was part of the voluntary facilitation team for a planning meeting for the U.S. Social Forum. i volunteered because i have a lot of love for detroit, and i have a lot of hope for the potential of the social forum. ruckus is one of the very few intermediaries on the national planning committee – and that we’re on there is largely due to the huge shifts we have made to prioritize the leadership of impacted, grassroots communities. the meeting was really a navigation, a truth and reconciliation session, a hopeful renewal of the process. it was fascinating for me to watch how quickly people jump to suspicion and doubt, and how helpful it was to have community agreements in place that reminded folks to default to trust and expect the best from each other. my long-term goal is to have an excuse to do tons of strategic direct actions that advance the work of local detroit communities, and i know that will only come to pass if the foundation gets set in a good way.

while i was at that meeting, i made a new friend. you know the feeling you get when you meet someone who is definitely going to be a new character in your life? miss ann! miss ann works with michigan welfare rights and she is going to be my mentor on the road to health. i noticed her cuz she is about the sharpest looking slightly older woman i’ve seen. as she says, “i’ve got the thighs of a 25 year old!” on our third day together she showed me a picture – she used to be bigger than me! while we both agreed that i do work what i have, she said she was down to help me [insert sucking in noise here] “tighten up”.

so far i have learned: 1) water and walking! 2) that i should throw away Accent if I have any in my house (which I don’t, but if you do, throw it away). 3) also, give up shellfish – crabs, lobster, catfish, shrimp. They are “bottomfeeders! like rats of the sea”. Ew! Easy. I paused on catfish, but she said to try her tilapia, and as soon as I am done fasting I plan to. 4) live as many flights up as you can and take the stairs two at a time and 5) it’s all about portions. put a spoon of everything on there, get a taste, that’s all you need.

more to come!