What would you give up?

To live cancer free for a lifetime what would you give up? Ever think about this? I never really gave it any serious thought until it was too late. Yesterday we ate lunch in a restaurant we have been to 100's of times. There is a sign by the exit to the patio which reads;
.
Warning: Consuming Alcoholic Beverages, Including Beer, Wine, and Coolers Can Cause Cancer. It Can Also Lead To Low Birth Weight in Pregnant Women.

I had seen the sign too many times because it is close to "our" table. I never noticed what it actually said until yesterday. I only saw the part about low birth weights when glanced at it in the pass. Now might be a good time to mention that we were at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants because I have been eating an alkaline diet for quit some time that also involves eating raw foods and juicing. I wanted a Taco! My friend and fellow survivor, Laura, has always talked about moderation to me, which makes a great deal of sense. I shouldn't get to the point where I WANT SOMETHING. I should just live in moderation. I can tolerate several green drinks a week in fact their really...Well...Good is not the word...Satisfying?...Well they are something, but the point is I can tolerate them. I know they are good for me and that I am doing something good for my body! I have been doing QiGong as well which is a Chinese form of meditation that adds movement (perfect for someone with ADD). I can love my body this way as well. The point that I guess I am trying to make is that giving up too much and becoming frustrated isn't the answer. Laura also mentioned people that she had known that had eaten a perfect diet, ran, exercised and then when there cancer came back became angry and gave up. I think that this proves that happiness is part of living well! I know that if I had to start running I'd be bitter. I hate running! I also don't like the gym. I love walking and hiking so I love myself enough to do it daily. That's good enough for me right now.

One of the things that made me think of today's topic is that I recently gave up sugar for Lent. So many people told me, "That's impossible! You'll see! There is sugar in everything!" What were these people eating? There is not sugar in EVERYTHING, unless by everything you mean processed food, which I rarely if ever eat, anyway.I know that bread ant tortillas and bacon had sugar in them when I gave up sugar. I was prepared for that. I have been reading every single label of my usual food purchases and have found no added sugar in anything but the tomato paste I used to buy and quickly switched to one with no sugar. Giving up sugar has not been hard at all. I allow myself to have agave nectar if I want something sweetened like some tea, but not usually. One thing I did try was sugar free ice cream. REALLY? They have to be kidding me. This had the texture of pasty dough. And it was so sweet I couldn't  eat it. I felt bad for the pecans that were wasted in the making of it. And so I don't need it. I would rather wait until the end of radiation and have a small bowl of real ice cream and then every month or so treat myself.

Living in moderation somehow feels right. I may have given up a lot over the past few months but it doesn't really feel like it. The biggest change is that I have replaced a lot of shopping with writing. I hope to in several months time to have much less clothing to donate and a book to show for it. So back to the original question. It is a valid one and one I continue to ask myself daily. What can I live without? Living simply seems to be, at least for me, the right answer. My house will never look sparse like a mid century home. That is simply not me. When I am asking myself what I can do without, Art has never come up as something that I can do without or want to do without. I will seek my moderation elsewhere.