Tea Totaling

In other news, I’m giving up wine.

Wh-what? Say that again. 

For thirty days. A month. A pseudo Lenten sacrifice. In October. 

No. I’m not trying to create my own Morgan Spurlock episode. I’m just trying to, well, improve my life.

I’ve been reviewing the things I put into my body a lot lately. Taken it much more to heart and my brain than I ever did. Really thinking about the chemistry of my organic material and the things I deposit in my stomach. What it does to my stomach and every other part to which that deposit distributes over time.

Well, I won’t get into the nitty gritty of that here. We’ve all heard it in D.A.R.E. classes or observed it on television through some PSA or hard core medical drama. And I’m sure, if you’re like me, you won’t really care what I write until something clicks in your head and you make the choice for yourself to let the knowledge register.

It probably helped that the day I determined to start this challenge (the day after a Canadian Thanksgiving feast), I got sick. So that helped me to replace my wineglass with a cuppa tea. I have a prop while I sit at my computer editing or on the couch consuming a chapter. I’m not giving up the habit of drinking. Just drinking hard core.

Now, I’m not pooh poohing alcohol here. I still love vino. And I appreciate the good it can do for my veins. But it is a sugary drink. And there needs to be a purge of the sugar. For thirty days. To wipe the slate clean. To break the habit. So it isn’t a habit. Because… well, habits like those are dangerous.

I’m actually starting to work my way through the neglected tea boxes in my cupboard. The hot mug helps to abate the begrudging amount of heat we’ve siphoned in the apartment. And… well… we’ll see how the benefits accumulate after the completion of a week.

I’m not a fool, though. I figured it out so I can have a glass of wine in time for real Thanksgiving. But, I think this little exercise will make that glass a little more meaningful. And something for which I am actually thankful.