Last night my determination and will power were genuinely put to the test. I never miss a Girls' Night Out, so even though I'm down to one raw meal a day, I accompanied some girlfriends to a swanky Santa Fe restaurant just for the conversation.

I ordered my green tea, which the kind bartender (we sat at the bar) served up in a beautiful Japanese carved teapot.  My friends were already imbibing some very summery cocktails full of fresh berries, which looked very refreshing but I was fine with it.  However, when the appetizers arrived on a long, slender steel platter, with all different kinds of sesame seeds as condiments, I started to feel like I was missing out a bit.  Only a bit.

Then the bartender replenished my girlfriends' empty glasses with even more beautiful concoctions, and I thought my green tea wasn't nearly as exciting. But alcohol has never been my greatest temptation so still I was fine with observing. Then their main course came, and the smell started to get to me. Fortunately I did a pretty good job of just observing these interesting sensations.

My weakness is always dessert, so when the tray of six different homemade ice creams arrived, I was really challenged. Fresh mint, basil, strawberry, what else.... The flaming absinthe over fresh rosemary cocktail was quite a show, too, but just a show when you're not drinking.

I've made it this far to Day 17, there was no way I was going to blow it even as the beautiful food kept coming out. The thing is, my attachment to feeling clear and light is now greater than my attachment to food. Desire for food is morphing into desire to keep feeling clean.  I'm thankful I'm not feeling very hungry with this Ejuva cleanse, otherwise I might not be so positive and lofty. Somehow I'm subsisting with less and it feels really good.  I realize that cleansing helps to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.  All cravings, ideas of what is comfort food, and yearnings for certain tastes and textures get erased and set back to zero.  When there are ultimately less options, we don't have to wade through the choices being swayed by emotions, and that is so liberating.  Forget "what am I in the mood for?" and eat for energy alone.

What do you think about choices?  Are they a blessing or a curse? What do you crave and do you know where that craving comes from? Share your thoughts about it and enjoy the dialogue.