This past Sunday for the first time as long as I can remember I got out of bed at a reasonable time. I was not super-glued to the bed with fog and dissociation the way I am on most Sundays.
I got out of bed, and I knew I wanted a kale smoothie with pineapple and mango. So many mornings I’ve wanted this, had the ingredients in the freezer, but then the world turned into a fog and all I could do eventually was extricate myself from the apartment in order to not lose any more time. But, this was not the case this past Sunday. I thought about the pineapple mango kale smoothie and how I had brand new freshly washed organic kale in my refrigerator. I focused on the fact that I wanted the cool, fruity, creamy and clean taste that comes from combining kale, pineapple, mango and banana in a smoothie.
I told myself, “Today you can do this. You want this. You want to have a smoothie at home for breakfast.” I turned on the tv to a show I had recorded: “NCIS Los Angeles” while I made my smoothie along with some wheat toast on the side. I felt myself start to float, but when I felt this start to happen I would look at the beautiful kale, and think to myself “if you leave the apartment you will not be able to have your favorite smoothie.”
And, let’s be frank, the incredible loud whir of a VitaMix blender will bring anyone dissociating back to present time. It’s like a jet fighter is taking off in your kitchen.
Much to my amazement, I had myself a kale smoothie with a side of wheat toast with local salted butter. It all felt right and homey. I actually watched two episodes of “NCIS Los Angeles.” Before I knew it I spent the entire Sunday at home doing homework, and cooking for myself. I did find that there are some dangers to staying home and eating. It is far too easy to polish off an entire box of Annie’s Organic Cheddar Bunnies Snack Crackers. Then there was the attempt to cook a package of turkey bacon for the week so that I could make sandwiches with the meat. That was a pipe dream! The turkey bacon did not last through Monday.
I deem this past Sunday a strangely significant milestone for me. I’ve no idea what was different about this past Sunday, but I’ll take it, along with a kale smoothie.
A Year in the Life of PTSD 
Sometimes it’s the most little of victories that make the difference in the life of someone suffering from trauma! Thank you for your share!
Hey there, thanks for the visit to my blog, and your kind words. Be well.
Beatriz
Do you have to have a juicer to make these type of smoothies or can I use my blender? I make fresh fruit smoothies but I really, really want a kale and apple smoothie something fierce. I’m on a juicer page on FB so I’ve got a ton of juices that sound wonderful but….can I do it with a regular blender? I have freshly washed kale in there right now and fresh apples, too. Shoot! I don’t have turkey bacon but I do have access to NCIS episodes. I really just want the smoothies though, and to tell you that small victories are still victories. Grab em, keep em, see em for what they are.
Smiles to you and yours,
Faith
Hi Faith,
You can use a regular blender to make a kale smoothie, though I will warn you that it will not be blended as smoothly as one of the high-powered but ass-expensive blenders like a Vitamix or a Blendtec. However, it will still taste very good in a regular blender. You will just have more of the little leaves to contend with. But, yes, a nice kale smoothie with enough fruit is just the antidote for many things. Oh, yes, apples work very well, especially if you don’t have pineapple.
I did it. It blended nicely. I didn’t have to chew my smoothie at all, very nice. Now I’m all excited about smoothies.
I did the kale with apple then i added a bit of ginger. girl, that was awesome. thanks for telling me or i would have just assumed i needed an expensive piece of equipment. girl, i’m gonna be juicing all the time. i’ve got so many recipes saved just waiting to be tasted. most of the ingredients i have right here at home.
i use to come home and make a fruit smoothie after therapy. something about the ice going around so violently then making something sweet felt right. my favorite was blackberries, ice, 7Up and a hint of lemon. It was so refreshing and light. the blackberries were picked from my own backyard. I love blending. LOL. It can even be therapeutic as you can see. LOL
I’ve been trying to remember all those things i used to do after therapy to calm myself. i use to throw darts. i considered picking that up again. i like the idea of throwing sand bags in a can. anything that requires concentration and a goal helps me calm myself safely and in a way i call dignified. As a kid I had a tic-tac-toe game where you tossed sand bags to turn the pieces. I don’t want that game but perhaps another tossing game would be good…also good physical therapy for me.
so we’ve got blending, concentrating, meeting a very short term goal AND throwing things. heck, it worked well for me. i think i might want to pick these back up.
Hi Faith,
I’m so glad my post got you blending again. I do enjoy it, and I inevitably eat better when I do. I like the addition of 7up with the blackberries. I can see that working well. I may steal that recipe from you!
Thanks,
Beatriz
Small steps of progress, Beatriz. Congratulations!
Thank you, Cinda.
I hope you had a good day this sunday, too!
Yes, it was another Sunday at home with smoothies and a really bad soup I made! LOL
Yay go you for a win win day at home, doing what you love, and you just cannot beat that. X