This is the first year I can remember in  a long time where I am not being affected adversely by the cold weather and lack of sunlight.  December and January are usually my least favorite months and I often feel like I am hanging on by my finger nails until spring time when I can again feel the warmth of the sun spreading its light upon the earth and my body.  Strangely, I even felt this way when I lived in southern California where it is sunny and temperate all year round.

A lot of things have changed for me.  And I don’t think it is a far cry to say my life has completely changed in the past six months or so.  This is all due to embracing a diet that is really working for my body and is helping me heal from the inside out.

I am going to write more in depth about these changes in my next blog post. For now, I want to write a Happy New Years post about all the things I am grateful for and hopeful about in my life.  While there is so much uncertainty in the world we are living in, I feel in my heart that life has never been better.

During the holidays, I found a blog that I really enjoy named Aprovechar by Sally Parrott Ashbrook.  The name intrigued me so I read her first blog post about the name of her blog.

She gave me permission to quote this post.  Here are a few lines which I love:

“‘‘Aprovechar’ is to get the most of out life, whether it’s a piece of clothing, a symphony performance, or a job. It’s ‘to take advantage’ in the most positive sense of that phrase…It’s to live a fulfilling life in this time on Earth.”

I love this because it is also what I strive for in my life and she writes about it so beautifully.  Please check out the entire blog post to read her thoughts about how this affects her life.

For me, the writing is very fitting for me right now in my life because of all of the changes I have been experiencing since starting the GAPS diet in September.

In a general sense, I am happier and more content than I ever remember being for such a length of time.

I have more energy to do the things I love and am interested in than I remember having in a  long time.

I am getting more things done instead of just thinking about them.

I have more self-confidence to work on new projects and take actions steps towards completing them.

I have more patience with my son Elijah who just turned two years old.  I don’t get as stressed out and frazzled from his whining and temper tantrums like I used to.  And I also think he is whining and throwing temper tantrums less often.

I have been very healthy this winter.  Last winter I was sick most of the winter and then again in the spring with a sinus infection.

I spend most my days feeling very good, upbeat, even-minded, emotionally stable instead of stressed out, anxious or on-edge.

I feel very hopeful about the future for my family.

My husband and I are communicating better and our bond is getting much stronger.

I love my work even more and it is much easier to get the menial tasks completed.

I feel healthier overall – in my body, heart, and mind.

We’re sleeping better and I feel more rested in general.

Because of all of this, I feel I am able to embrace life in a way that I was never quite able to.  I feel the essence of “aprovechar” in my life at work and yet for so long it seemed so out of reach.

I’m also painting again!  I did the painting above on New Year’s Day.  I have more energy so I am getting so much more done that I enjoy doing, like painting and making things for the house.  I really haven’t painted since before Elijah was born.  Here is my art website.

To bring to light how simply amazing all of this is for me, I will say here that there were many days in my life that I didn’t see the point of living because I felt so awful all the time.  This story really requires another blog post to explain where I am coming from so I plan to write about it in my next blog post.

I am oh so very grateful for everything – even the hard stuff – that has brought me to this point in my life.  Without the struggles, I wouldn’t be so extremely grateful for the happiness in my life right now.  I also wouldn’t have the passion to do the work I am doing.

It still seems a bit crazy to me that a simple diet change could do so much to help me feel like a normal and functional person.  If you’d like to read more about the GAPS diet, here are some links:

Is Leaky Gut one of the causes of autism and depression?

The GAPS guide book blog

The GAPS diet

I hope you have a blessed and very happy New Year!