Aaaargh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Under any normal circumstances, I would never have included half as many exclamation points, but the amount of duress I am under completely calls for all 23 of them. While I am not experiencing a physical death, much as I would like to convince myself I am, my taste buds are now joining forces with many other parts of my body en mass, organizing a full-scale attack on my Daniel Fast resolve! I'm beginning to think 10 days have somehow overnight become synonymous with 100; There has never been and never will be a more wonderful date than Thursday, February the 25th, 2010. Having indulged so long in hyperbole, I will be honest... I have not been experiencing any caffeine withdrawals, and my hunger pains have kept to a dull roar, thankfully. On my menu these last two days I have enjoyed many fruits (I'll just keep the aftermath of THAT to myself), nuts, water, juices, avocado, salsa, salad, peppers, etc... I just realized that whole wheat bread is a baked good, as well as blue corn chips I consumed with my guacamole and salsa, and are therefore illegal, so I guess I sort of spent the first two days weaning myself. Tomorrow will be the tell of whether or not I can actually do this! I have to say though, I already feel a bit lighter in the midsection, which is a nice benefit. Whether this is a healthy reaction made by my body or my stomach is slowly digesting all neighboring body organs, I have not figured out yet. I'm still breathing, so at least it hasn't made it to the lungs.
I have found an online resource that others might make use of, it's a blog written by Susan Gregory on Wordpress dedicated to all things Daniel Fast. She has some great recipes, motivating blurbs, as well as a great factoid section in the lower left-hand column of the page, under "Find More Here."
While reading in the book of Daniel today, this scripture spoke volumes to me, and it is what I will end this post with for today.

"Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets..." (Daniel 2:27-28 KJV)

In context, this scripture is powerful, but directly applied to my life, it has real meaning to me! No matter what confounds me, no matter all the information avenues I exhaust to find the answers and solutions to my problems in life, God will always be the answer. What an extremely comforting and empowering thought :)

Food is bought, refrigerator is stocked, and my last sweet and highly indulgent snack (comprised of a grande white hot chocolate and three “petite” vanilla scones) has been consumed… Tomorrow is the day! Yummy items included on our healthy shopping list are apples, bananas, grapes, raspberries, pineapple, mixed nuts, dried cranberries and figs, whole wheat pasta, unsweetened organic soy milk, all-natural salsa, all-natural guacamole (along with a handful of avocados), and all-natural peanut butter, along with several varieties of beans and ingredients to make some healthy and protein-rich dinners. 10 days sounds like no problem when I am living life normally, but when faced with the Daniel fast, it feels as if an eternity of a sad-sack life subsisting off nuts and apples is stretching before me, and trust me, that is a sad life indeed! But after making the additions to our fridge, and a little creative thinking and planning on my own, it is turning into something very enticing indeed! Along with the change to my diet, I am planning a change to my waistline, just like Pastor Jon mentions in the pamphlet that was distributed after service today. I will take measurements, weigh myself, and incorporate yoga and strength training and see what the end result is. Another thing Pastor Jon mentioned, that certain aspects of my spirit man will be revealed during this process of self-denial, will be a large focus. As I am denying my never-ceasing appetite, and whittling my waistline, I will also be especially diligent in creating pockets of time to spend on my spiritual walk with God.

SO! Spirits are high! Keep checking in on this short blog topic, I’m hoping to have lots of insight and progress to report, both physically and spiritually! :-D