Mirror, mamas and early birds….

Today I have a story for you about valiant efforts and when they don’t necessarily serve your ultimate goals.

But first, I want to ask you to take a look in your own mirror and determine if you feel it’s time to pay heed to the early bird knocking on your door…

Now is the time to seize your Early Bird discount for the FxNA Spring Cleanse. It’s liver loving season and I’m eager to support your valiant efforts toward success.

Learn more about the Spring Cleanse and catch the Early Bird discount before it expires tomorrow!

Now for that story (and a mirror of a different sort):

Every so often, life presents a reflection other than the one in the looking glass.

As parents, the worst of these reflections exhibit themselves in the health and well-being of our children.

I’m not talking about Junior having your eyes, sporting your attitude or picking up on the nuances of your speech. Instead I’m referring to how the things we choose for them, the ways we direct them, the expectations we have of them, reflect those that we have of ourselves.

You see, standards we set for ourselves are typically those that we also impose upon our kids.

There’s nothing wrong with this…

We all do it in some way or another.

The gift is in the recognition. Seeing the mirror for what it is.
And then, taking action.

I was just reflecting on a time when the mama mirror in front of me was full-length, crystal clear, and not very pretty.

It came in the form of an orthodontic apparatus (called a Herbst contraption), placed in my son’s mouth several years ago. (We’re now contemplating the second round of braces, which brings me right back to this historic moment in my mothering career.)

Back then, the stress immediately hit when I realized Gilbert would have to eat a liquid diet for a few days. His teeth didn’t touch anywhere except in the front, which reduced chewing to the limited capabilities of a little mouse.

I wasn’t prepared to implement a full liquid diet for my child.

I get in my busy flow and I know quite well how to throw together healthy meals, but seldom are they entirely liquid, at least not for my growing boy. But, as my friends said to me at the time: If anyone can make a liquid diet nutritious and delicious, it’s you.

I told myself the same and soldiered on.

Yet it’s the soldiering on, in the face of the extreme, that ultimately caught my attention in the mirror.

Five days passed.

Gilbert didn’t complain of anything save for a little soreness on the inside of his mouth where the mechanism was rubbing against and slightly tearing his inner cheeks. And I thought his bite would shift any day now.

I continued to soldier on.

Throw me a curveball and I’ll figure out how to catch it and keep running! So much so that I don’t even realize I’m doing it or how it may be affecting me (or, as may be the case, others around me.)

I don’t realize, that is, until I see it the mirror.

And there it was, a mirror…in my son’s thin frame growing skinnier by the day; in his difficulty taking in any form of nourishment—no matter how many spins through the blender; and finally, the breaking point, Day 9, (yes, Day 9!), when it was clear that his mood and constitution were being affected by the lack of sustenance.

All in the face of a tenacious and valiant effort to adapt and succeed.
His efforts or mine?

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

And there in the reflection the call to action became clear.
First things first: Get that mouth gear off!

It was no easy task and came with more pain and tears than the entire ordeal prior. Yet the return of my son’s energy, constitution and hunger for a gluten-free grass-fed burger with baked “fries” and ketchup were all music to my ears.
Next up: Humble apologies.

At that age (just 12 at the time) my son could, thankfully, comprehend the confession of my humble awareness.
Not to be forgotten: How did these same patterns appear in my life?

This is where some sadness set in, because, as I said, the reflection was not very pretty. It’s wasn’t horrible, but it’s one that deserved my attention at the time and quite frankly, still does.

Where, like the reflection presented by my son was I experiencing malnourishment, not in the traditional sense of the word (I tend to my nutrient needs with vigilance). But elsewhere?

It’s this mirror that called me to attention at the time and I am reminded to reflect on now.

And while the uneasiness of the meditation may lead me to run to the comfort of the grain-free cookie jar or the coconut oil sweet potato chips, I’m choosing instead to seek optimal nourishment.

Instead of soldiering on and conquering, I will nurture. First me. And in turn, my (still) sweet (and not so little) son, and all those around me.

Honor the mother in the mirror.

The one that you are.

The one that you have or had.

And the truth that we all make mistakes that are likely rooted in belief systems that might deserve further reflection. (Even the best mamas among us!)

Mirror and upcoming mother’s day aside, please join me for an opportunity to nurture your biggest internal guardian and protector, your liver, in the upcoming Spring Cleanse, where I’ll be practicing full-on self-loving support.

YOU deserve this too.

The Spring Cleanse begins on May 14th and if you enroll today, I have an early mother’s day gift for you…

It’s an Early Bird Discount that makes it even easier to say yes to you and your liver, and to let all mirrors reflect that you know what true nourishment means.
(Psst…that Early Bird ends tomorrow night!!)

Happy Early Mother’s Day!

By: Andrea Nakayama, FxNA Founder & Functional Medicine Nutritionist

Functional Nutrition Alliance provides the comprehensive online Functional Nutrition training in the Science & Art of the Functional Nutrition practice. Learn to address the roots of your clients’ suffering with client education, diet & lifestyle modifications.