"50 First Weeks:" the Sore Throat Smoothie Version

Monday again, "50 First Weeks" again: opportunity for a fresh start. Before I say anything else, my deep, sincere and humble thanks for all the comments, both on and off the blog, about my last post. I'll be responding to them individually in the next day, but just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated all of your insights, caring, and tough love.  I also want to apologize for anything in the post that smacked of worrisome or triggering or insensitive. I want to keep it real, even the crazy parts, and sometimes the wisdom and resolution don't all come at once.

So, if this is the "50 First Weeks" day, you know what my "new start" is for this week: my last post should make that clear at least: no more excuses about sending my writing out into the world! I sent off a submission today!

I have a sore throat and stuffy nose. It takes me back to the last time I taught a class--which I realized, to my shock, was five years ago! That course was accelerated Ancient Greek: a whole year of Ancient Greek in a single semester. I had an unprecedentedly large enrollment, wonderful students, and an intense long semester of 9am class every weekday. And during that semester, I completely lost my voice. Twice. Those were some fun lectures...

Maybe teaching makes me sick? It definitely adds to the ambient stress levels. So I slowed down my breakfast a little this morning, and made something rather like what I made when I'd lost my voice back then.

Sore Throat Smoothie
1 orange, peeled leaving as much of the white pith on the fruit as possible
1/2 a grapefruit
1/2 a lemon
1 cup herbal tea (or 1/2 cup herbal tea and 1/2 cup nut milk)
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
cinnamon
1/2 inch ginger (or more)
2 dates or some carefully preserved and gently harvested healing honey from my beekeeping days
stevia if necessary

This is definitely a "strong" smoothie, between the ginger and the pith and seeds from the citrus. But between the herbs and the citrus, it feels like it's targeted directly at the sore throat. I made a similar one for lunch, with the addition of spinach, spirulina, maca and some coconut kefir. I think they helped--at least they didn't hurt, at a time when nothing really sounds good. More hot ginger/lemon seems like a fine idea too.

After six weeks or so of weather in the single digits and often below zero, it's warmed up to the 30's and feels positively balmy. Which also means that there's melting water freezing into rinks on frozen ground--some perilous hiking! I'll aim to share some pics next time.