So today is the first day of Spring here in Sydney and not only was the weather amazing today but I was reminded in my yoga class this morning that Spring is a time of new beginnings and a time to remember the past but move forward into the future. Quite a fitting statement for my first Australian Fathers Day since my Dad died. Spring is a time of rejuvenation and rebirth and Father’s Day- whether your father is here or not is a time of recognition and reflection on memories and love that you share.
It’s been quite a good day- surprisingly no tears. I’ve been quite reflective but also recharging my batteries and getting ready for the year ahead. A few weeks ago I started mulling over the idea of doing 30 day challenges between now and the wedding next year. It’s a pretty stupid idea really considering I have the willpower of a… (I’m not really sure what analogy to use)..let’s just say I can relate to Oscar Wilde’s quote, “I can resist anything except temptation”. Since we’ve moved to our new apartment, temptation has pretty much come in the form of cakes from Kurtosh, ice cream from Cold Rock and Banofee Pie Tarts from The Sweet Spot Patisserie– basically, The Spot I love you but your delicious food is ruining my hopes of being a size 2 ever again! No matter how much yoga I do in a week, it’s not really counteracting the cookies and cream cheesecake that you can order by weight….seriously, it’s a thing and it’s yum!
So, I’ve decided today is also the start of my beginning a series of 30 day challenges! For the next 11 months (give or take), I’m going to undertake a different challenge for 30 days. I will allow myself to have a cheat day (or two) here and there but I’m going to try to be on the straight and narrow and stick to my 30 days of depriving myself of something. (I wish I could say I came up with this totally on my own, but I didn’t. 30 day challenges are a thing- read here- and a website!)
I’m starting today with 30 days of Gluten Free eating. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it again, but still, it’s hard to think about 30 days of no pasta, no bread, no cookies, no cake, etc. It sounds easy, but resistance is futile in the face of Kurtosh– but I’m going to be strong and make it 30 days.
Some of the other challenges will be 30 days dairy free, 30 days no alcohol (the toughest one ever), 30 days vegan before 6 (apparently its Mark Bittman’s new thing- see article here), 30 days no dessert (not even ice cream), and more. I’m open to any suggestions as well!
So here we go, the first day of spring, the first day of a new me! Let’s do this! And on the bright side only 29 days to go before I can tuck into a big bowl of pasta and garlic bread and cake!
