For the past few days I’ve been looking at my body very closely, more precisely my feet. I’ve developed gout. For those of you who do not know what gout is; it’s “a disease in which defective metabolism of uric acid causes arthritis, especially in the smaller bones of the feet, deposition of chalkstones, and episodes of acute pain.
I can’t walk on it because it encourages the swelling. I can’t even wear socks or let my bedsheet touch it.
The word disease can be broken down into “dis-ease”, meaning “not at ease”. Every time I’ve neglected my body, I get scolded. My feet have long been teachers.
In my second year of college, I developed anorexia-nervosa + bulimia. Not only was I not nourishing my body, but anything I did give my body, I took right back. The severity increased in my third year. I had starved my body and only been consuming coffee. I was elected President of my student council and was to give a speech. On the very first day of school I ran to the library to get my freshly printed speech and fell into a twist. My left foot cracked and immediately swelled up the size of a baby watermelon. I was taken to the hospital and put in a wheelchair for a whole month.
This devastated me: no frosh week, no dancing, no trip to Wonderland. I called a friend for some tough love. She told me about this wonderful book called The Anatomy of the Spirit. I bought it online and since I was chair-bound, I read it right away. Basically, our biology and biography are connected. I learned that if I did not honour/ listen to my body when it whispered, I’d eventually hear it scream. Luckily my best friend Nat moved in with me to make sure I was eating well and healing. She was also on purging watch and made sure I wasn’t getting into any old habits. Trust me: wheelchairs are a real obstacle and its impossible to crouch over a toilet when chair-bound.
I also attended counselling. That was the start of my body positivity attitude makeover. I was asked which body parts I liked. I liked my hands, and I loved my feet. They are a symbol of my German roots. I loved that they once made me feel unique in a world of size 10 shoes. I have a size 13 foot. My counselor told me: if its okay for you to have extra large feet, why is it so hard for you to love your extra large frame…. YES, my mind was blown!
So back to my feet…If I can’t walk, I stay put. I take a break to think about where I’m going. I rest, look at my life, sit on the couch and ask myself some questions. What irritates me? What is acidic in my life? What keeps me inflamed. It also provides me with insight on choices I need to make.
Today, I chose not to apply for a job. My body just said “George, stop putting things on your plate. Your load is heavy enough and you’re only on one foot”.
The feet are also a symbol of our roots. Maybe its time for me to return to simplicity, go back to my roots and live the way I was meant to. 
Maybe it’s my body telling me to pick up The Wild Diet (by Abel James) like I’ve intended to since January.
Maybe this is a sign!
Signs, signs, everywhere a sign…
Has your body ever given you a sign that you might not totally be “at ease” with your life?
Yours in wellness & happy feet.
G
ive to challenge myself to do something out of the ordinary from my routine every Wednesday morning. This series of silly challenges is brought to you by a need to break free from mundane work outs and boring old habits.
ays the word no a lot in this song….like A LOT
Two Guys, a Girl and a Healthy Lifestyle 