The Winds of Change: Part Two

The wind has let up a bit here, but the beautiful weather holds. It seems that Spring has finally arrived and intends to stay. I saved your usual seat by the window, shall we continue the story?

We left off at the beginning of Marissa and D.D.’s gluten free journey. Believe it or not, Part One was not the “winter” of my symbolism. It was only the “fall” :) The winter came with the gluten free grieving that came after switching to a new way of eating.

After changing to a gluten free diet, life changed considerably. Every meal was hard. Every family function brought the fear of what to eat, and how to keep from getting sick. For the first time, food was not just what our heroines ate. Being gluten free became everything! “Gluten Free Panic” was so prevalent that it was what decided what invitations from from friends to accept and which ones to decline.

In spite of all these storms, there were bright days for both D.D. and Marissa. The Headaches had moved on and everyone felt healthier. D.D. was sleeping less than ever and the purple circles disappeared. Marissa was pain free in the morning and able to function fog free all day. Even the cravings went away (which was an unexpected bonus).

Even so, Gluten ruled the kingdom. It was a harsh task master, inflicting pain and anguish whenever it snuck in. Marissa and D.D. spent every day thinking about how to avoid it, and wondering when it would strike next. Making excuses for why they had to avoid Gluten when most people around them thought it was so nice became draining. Marissa felt like she was in a constant battle, fighting for both herself and D.D.

The storms raged all through that “winter”, which lasted longer than a season. Tasty gluten free provisions often ran low and fear ran too high. Marissa launched a campaign to find out as much as she could about Gluten without ever having to come into direct contact. She and D.D. would compare information and look for allies in their quiet war. There were a surprising amount of these allies! People would help spy on Gluten’s secret doings, and report news from the Gluten Free Front.

Slowly, the weather began to change. All of the spying on Gluten had led Marissa to a whole new awareness of other enemies out there that were sneaking into her food. D.D. had learned a new appreciation of food, and the fight to eat what’s right. As they emerged from their winter of change, they blinked in the sunlight and saw the fruits of all the winds.

Not only were all of the “mystery symptoms” gone, but both girls were healthier and happier than ever before. Gluten was still very quick to offer punishment, but it wasn’t as hard to avoid in the wake of all the new allies (friends and foods alike). Life had become easy once more. More than easy, it was beautiful! It was Spring in the kingdom again, and Marissa and D.D. enjoyed it with the new energy and verve that can only come from the new health and vitality they had found- And they continue to live happily ever after...

The truth is, even the fairy tale flare of my story does not do justice to the impact that going gluten free had in my life. I went from fear of the unknown, to terror of the known, to a peaceful acceptance of what is. My reflections by the window here have led me to the realization that I have finally achieved something different altogether, bringing me (almost) full circle.

Once again, food is just something I eat. Gluten free is how I eat, not what I am. Just like the storms and wet snow of this winter have made the green grass possible, the storms of changing everything I ate brought the new growth of better health.

Even restaurants and family dinners hold no fear anymore. There is more planning than there used to be, but I see that as a good thing. I am now aware of every bite of food that goes into my mouth, which has more benefits than I thought possible.

If you are one of the newly gluten free that came to Gling for help, I celebrate you! Here, you will find many allies and much comfort. My hope is that you are seeing a bit more “Spring” in your own life with every page you read.