Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

STRUGGLE IS AN OPTION IN MY LIFE

I took myself off to a juice fast retreat in Devon with fully equipped, luxury cottages, surrounded by beautiful countryside, for my own personal health/self-full reasons.

I had visited Karuna Detox (www.karunadetox.com) before with my daughter some years before and had been surprised by how well I had coped without ‘proper’ meals.  And how my mind was more of a hindrance, than any physical discomfort in my body.

This time however was not plain sailing.  Even though I was lucky not to have anything more than a few aches from prior injuries, i.e. a stiff neck and shoulder, my mind clung to the thought that I wanted food, now!

My inner mean girl persisted in torturing me, talking about cheese on toast and Magnum ice cream bars – yeah really wholesome, nutritious stuff – until Day 5, when the fast would be broken the next day.

I woke up or should I say I was awoken at 5am to have a chat with my Higher Self.  I raised the blinds in my comfortable twin bedroom and sat myself up on the super puffy pillows and extra cushions.  I looked out the window and had an incredible sense of gratitude for the beauty of the sky, the lushness of the countryside and the cosiness of embracing the early morning silence, while still snuggled in my duvet.

I wrote in my gratitude notebook, which made me think more deeply about gratitude.  I thought how lucky I was to have been born where I was born and how privileged I was to have the choices that I have.

I had chosen to succumb to 5 days of no solid food in these luxury surroundings and at the break of the fast, I would have super nutritious food to look forward to.  I thought then of the thousands/millions of people throughout the world who have no such choice, hunger is their only option, maybe punctuated with a small palm full of rice.

No more struggle on this fast for me.  The shift in consciousness was complete.  I felt fantastic!  Now I wanted to think of a way that I could make a difference to the stark contrast of me the Western girl choosing not to eat and those who have no such choice.

I thought a walk in the beautiful nature all around me would help inspire me and it did. 

As I walked I thought of all the e-mails I receive at work from people who were running for one cause or another.  Light Bulb Moment!  I had gone without food for 5 days that’s a plea for sponsorship if ever there was one!. 

So I set up a Just Giving page to encourage people to sponsor a child for 5 days, in the UK and the Caribbean.  And I feel good, food or no food!

There are 3 charities that resonate with me so donations are to be shared between each.  There are 2 UK, one less well known and one Jamaican arm of an international charity:

CEN Communities Empowerment Network (www.cenlive.org).  CEN give support to parents and children who are facing exclusion, a scenario that I experienced with my own son, albeit many years ago.

The very well known Save The Children organisation, www.savethechildren.org.uk 

Children in Jamaica will benefit through, http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sponsor-a-child/americas/jamaica

You can donate whatever you want but to give you a guideline, in Jamaica, I would estimate JA$1500 (approx. £9) to feed a child for 5 days).

Thank you for your support

Patricia Leslie