The truth as I know it:

We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time & miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands. ~~~ Kristi Larson

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

When an Over-Caffeinated Mama Goes Caffeine-Free...

All hell breaks loose... fo' real!

Seriously, I realized the comedy tonight as our nanny, The Amazing Amy, was talking to me about the Daniel Fast that I flippantly decided to start yesterday.  I say flippantly because at church on Sunday, the pastor announced that the church does a Daniel fast every year, the 21 days prior to Easter.  Being the extremely easy sell that I am, I decided to look into it.  I read up on it on the internet and decided that it surely could not be THAT hard.  It's meat free, no bread, and nothing but water to drink.  But I wasn't really thinking about the fact that this would include coffee.  But, I had committed to it (in my mind) and I was just going to go with it.  So, I charged through my day yesterday and it wasn't too bad.  I lost steam pretty early on, but still, it was doable.  I woke up this morning and that's when the s&%* hit the fan.  I've honestly been in a caffeine-less stupor for at least 48 hours.  I had a headache all day, I laid on the couch half the afternoon unmotivated to do anything but sleep, and my house looks like the kids rooms exploded and landed in various places about the other rooms.  As I was lamenting to Amy that I couldn't get it together to go have tacos with my hubby tonight and why did I think I could go cold turkey from coffee without a catastrophic outcome, her response was "I don't want to question your religious convictions, but you are the over-caffeinated mama."  Well, duh!  How could I forget how much I NEED caffeine.  This addiction of mine is NOT just for fun anymore... there's a reason I developed a love relationship with coffee.... it's because I needed it... and still do, apparently.

In true double-minded fashion, I started to doubt my firm decision to stop the fast tomorrow.  I mean, I'm probably through the worst of it, don't you think?  I mean, it's supposed to be 21 days... how lame that I couldn't make it two?  But the way I see it is that Daniel didn't have four young children when he decided to give up everything that's good and right in the world, the very things that get me through the day, seek the Lord through food deprivation.  And Daniel wasn't living in Hawaii... well, never mind, that should actually make it easier to go meat-free.  But anyway, I'm going to try to keep to the no meat, no bread thing, but the coffee, I think God will understand, I really really do.  In fact, I talked it over with Him and He seemed fine with it!  :)

9 comments:

Kim said...

Oh girl ... I am attempting forty days of no sweets. Let me just say ... it's killin me.
I could give up the meat ... but I don't even want to think about life with no bread and caffeine!
Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
Kim

Barb said...

Maybe you could try just that first cuppa every morning (just to get ya going, ya know . . .)?

Jenn said...

Oh my....the thought of no coffee makes my heart stop! Haha! And really...coffee is just flavored water! ;)

Lindsay said...

Coffee IS water.

See! So no way do you actually need to give it up.

(Typed thru gritted teeth - I ran out 3 days ago and since finishing maternity leave last week and going back to work I have had no time to go buy any!!!)

Becky and Keith said...

Girl, I gave up caffeine 3 days ago. Oh. My. Goodness. My beverage of choice (drooling as I type this) is diet coke or diet dr. pepper. I lived on it - might of well just put an IV in. I cracked last night at dinner, but only a tiny bit. Today, I'm surviving. The headache is killing me and I have a real big CRASH each afternoon but my body seems to be really liking the water. I feel your pain. I only have one child and I feel like I grow horns at 4:00 each day. :-)

Unknown said...

This was like reading a horror novel. When we walked the Daniel road last year, I pretended that coffee bit wasn't in there. I mean, c'mon. Coffee is nearly sacred I'm pretty sure.

Amy...who wanted 4. said...

LOL
I gave up chocolate for Lent, not brave enough to give up coffee. I tooke pity on my family. hee hee

Bethany said...

I feel your pain! I haven't had coffee for 30 days and I'M STILL IN PAIN!! I gave it up to do an herbal diet (which isn't going well, lol!). I still have two more months to go!!! My assistant brought some freshly ground coffee in and I about attacked her for it....just a smell I said...I swear I never made it more than 2 feet away from that bag! COFFFFFEEEEE...NNNNEEEED IIITTTT NNNOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!

lori said...

Silly girl!!! As much as you love that flavored creamer and coffee...