Count-down to Cleanse

So, tomorrow the vegan goodness commences.  I wish I could be more excited.  Instead, I'm frantically wondering where the last month went, and how it's gone by so fast.  I didn't get to do any of my usual "prepare for vegan-ness" things that I count on, like planning out 2 weeks worth of meals, meal add-ons, and snacks (being vegan makes me a VERY hungry girl... like, I eat constantly!).  I haven't been to the store yet to stock up on the essentials, although I did start a list of said essentials.

...And then I remember, it's a cleanse.  It's about quieting the mind, healing the body.  Why in the world would I want to get frantic???

Vegan Kristen, you did so much cool stuff, non-vegan Kristen misses you.  A lot.

I've done the vegan-ness before.  I know what's coming.  Instead of freaking out, maybe I should try calm acceptance.  So what if the first few days are not perfect?  I will not die because I had a piece of cheese.  During my 2 years of vegetarian, I didn't deny myself if I wanted some sort of animal product.  I had it, I dealt with the stomach ache, and I moved on.  I didn't stress about it once I was in that lifestyle.

There is something about this diet for me that allows for a lot more self-love and self-acceptance.  It's all good, once I'm there, and I have everything under control.  Probably why what was supposed to be a 3 month cleanse turned into almost 2 years of meat-free goodness.  Despite my love of cow, of bacon, of In-N-Out burger (I know it's cow, but it's so much more than that too), I learned that I loved myself more, and I felt better when I left those things for sparing treats.

My Thursday lunch destination.  Oops...

That's what I'm most looking forward to -- not the possibility of weight loss, not the vitality, the energy, but the encompassing sense of wellness it brings.

Have you ever felt this?  Ever found that one thing that makes your world snap into focus and just start to work perfectly?  What was is?