Very Green Apple Smoothie
when you can’t but still have to
things you’ll need: a granny smith apple, a big handful of spinach, (frozen) banana, almond or other nut butter, almond milk or other plant-based milk or water or regular milk, yogurt (or extra banana or something plant-based), a squeeze of lemon, and whatever your add-ons are: pineapple, mango, ginger, chia, flax, cinnamon, protein powder, oats, avocado, grapes, berries, honey, cauliflower, dates, cucumber, so on and so forth.
having a wisdom tooth extracted sucks, but it means you get to drink a lot of smoothies.
incidentally gluten-free and vegetarian, vegan if you use all plant-based milks and things.
Chapter 210
Occasionally your body goes wrong and it’s out of your control. You still go about doing all the things, you just have to bring your body (kicking and screaming) with you. All that discomfort becomes background noise which you ignore until, somehow, it becomes normal.
Maybe it’s a bad knee, a bum elbow, something you did to your shoulder once that lingers now. Maybe you stub your toe and, even if it’s a little broken, there is nothing you can do but walk it off. Maybe it’s worse. Maybe it’s every day and you don’t like to talk about it. Maybe you wake up every morning and it’s still there, even with the yoga and the doctors or the good sleep hygiene.
You are good at masking. Very few people even know unless you tell them, because sometimes you need someone to know. You don’t like to be a bother, don’t like to complain. It doesn’t make it better, doesn’t make it easier, doesn’t mean you get to stop and trade your body in for a newer model. You don’t like to call it Chronic because you like to think it will go away. You don’t even like to call it Pain. You say, “bad day.”
Today is a bad day. Today is a day that you don’t, even though you think you must. Today is can’t.
Cube an apple and throw it in a blender with a banana that you cut and froze just in case your body had a day like today. Add a handful of spinach because a cartoon said it would make you strong and you still like to believe in magic.
Add a big spoon of almond butter. Add the yogurt that you made because that feels like magic too. Add whatever magic you think will help. Blend with almond milk or orange juice or anything to make it more liquid than solid. Squeeze in a little lemon because lemon always helps.
Blend.
Somehow this is food but also candy. It’s easy. Sometimes you need easy. Forgive your body for its failings. Take care of yourself the way you take care of other people. If there is someone there, let them take care of you. Make an appointment and call it “Pain” when they ask. Being vulnerable sucks, but maybe normal doesn't have to be so hard.
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