Corn has been Converted

So I'm a bit more than halfway through my trip and there have definitely been stumbling blocks to my project (which doesn't officially start until Saturday) but some successes as well. Being in my parents house again for the first time in a few years is hard--I haven't seen a single green thing in the fridge since I arrived. The first night here, my mom drafted me into a church italian dinner, something their church does every summer to raise money and serve families who are camping in the southern maine woods a hot meal. My mom said before hand, "There will be lots of really good pasta" to which I replied, "will there be any vegetables?" "Oh yes! They always make a big green salad!" The "big green salad" serving was less than a cup's worth of iceburg lettuce with shredded carrot. Mom was excited when we got to bring the leftovers home.

Tonight my mom is planning to make some kebobs and asked me if there was anything else I wanted with them. It's kind of fun being a "guest" in my parent's house because I get a moderate say in dinner. I said, "What about some vegetables?" And she said, "Oh, I was thinking I would go to the market and get some fresh corn." I just looked at her. I waited to see if she would come up with another option. "Oh right," she said. "Corn isn't a vegetable anymore." As if corn has been converted. As if it was once green and rich in iron.

What's been most tricky about my trip is the actual act of traveling. I've been on a long car ride to bring my grandmother back to her home in Vermont, on the Downeaster Train to visit my Aunt in Boston, and of course, a couple of flights where I've spent more time in airports on weather delay than actually in the air. This has caused a consistent dull ache on the outside of my hips, despite the prescription naproxen I've been taking. While I've tried to get some physical therapy in (which is minimal because I didn't travel with my balance ball and because my parents small Cape home doesn't have the floor space to really stretch out), it's hard to become motivated with the aching. I've still tried to keep my activity up with walking the dog and a few trips and swims in the ocean but I know it's not the level I get when I'm home.

And I'm pretty sure the reason my pee smells like salt water is because of the amount of fried clams I've been eating. But it's vacation and I've been waiting 18 months for good seafood. And I'm reminding myself that Project 28 is about balance, not restriction. This blog is a way to find balance. Balance is a work in progress, breaded clams, seafood chowder, fresh corn, and all.