A new obsession

This idea of getting all my work done during daylight hours just has a huge appeal to me. I suppose it's because over the past few years, I've been so focused on building this freelance business that I've let work spill over into almost every of the day—getting up for an assignment arriving at 5 a.m., for example, or staying up till 2 a.m. to finish something by deadline. And there have been some days I've literally rolled out of bed, gotten on the computer, and worked every waking moment, while my husband delivers food to my desk.

I guess that explains, more than any sort of "primal" philosophy, why I've gotten a little caught up the past few days in trying to get everything done within a reasonable window of time. There's still more work than I can fit into the daylight hours, but last night I actually took a few hours off and sat down in a comfy chair to knit (and yes, as a matter of fact, it was with jasmine tea). I like that it brings a sense of urgency to get things done while it's still light out, so I end up not wasting those working hours.

I've also been darkness-fasting the past two days. I eat my last meal for the day around 4 p.m. (the sun goes down around 5). I do feel a bit hungry in the evening, but I've tried not to worry about it. It's a new concept, because until two days ago, I had never intentionally skipped a meal in my entire life, but it's not hurting me, and I'm not going to die. In the morning, I'm raring to go and not hungry at all. The sun comes up around 7, but I have breakfast after the kids are off to school, a little after 8. So I get an eight-hour window to eat out of every twenty-four.

I honestly don't know if there's any point to fasting the way I am. There was something about a sixteen-hour fast in the article I linked to, but I'm not sure if you're supposed to do it every day forever or what. It kind of seems right, though. I really like the way I've been feeling in the mornings. And if I can't rest my muscles and brain every evening, I guess I can at least rest my digestive system.