My oldest daughter and coauthor of this blog, Brittni, was recently ruminating over her inability to consume anything but the cleanest substances without suffering some pretty significant consequences. Any caffeine, even if consumed first thing in the morning, will keep her from sleeping that night. A single alcoholic drink in the evening has the same effect. Gluten, sugar, and even dairy and meat have a noticeable effect on her energy levels and mood. She is intolerant to many medications. The list of sensitivities could- and did- go on.
You are the luckiest, I’ve said to her more than once.
Essentially you are forced to have a clean diet and live such a healthy lifestyle. You cannot skimp on your self-care without some real suffering. So you have the opportunity to be the pinnacle of health and well-being!
Of course, I do sympathize too, especially on the caffeine front. She has two toddlers. I cannot imagine having gone through the toddler stage without my morning coffee.
And I also know what it is like to be sensitive to substances. A glass of wine or an extra pour of coffee can send my heart racing these days. Consuming sugar(my nemesis) or white flour products make me want to take a nap. But I am not as sensitive to such substances, or to the loss of sleep they may cause.
Recently, I heard of a new book, a memoir, called We are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life. It is written by Laura McKowen, a woman who struggled with alcohol dependency. I immediately fell in love with her title and delved into the book, interested to learn about all the ways she thrived when she gave up her vice. And she is indeed thriving, but holy high balls, she takes the reader through some devastating sh** before she reaches the lucky part.
Still, in the end, she is lucky and amazing and makes some very valid points about the rest of us, too okay or functional or distracted to even contemplate giving up our diversion, whatever that is for us. Instead of thriving, we may be chugging along in mediocracy.
So for all you sensitive types, who cannot tolerate whatever it is that you cannot tolerate – noise or stress or alcohol or sugar or negativity or whatever your poison is- chances are it’s something that isn’t really great for anyone. But you, my delicate flower, the orchid, the canary in a coal mine, your rock -bottom of tolerance is always right there forcing you to course-correct with your next breath, with the beating of your wild, tender heart.
You are the luckiest.
Yours Truly 