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Hey Druids! Seeing as this is my first ever Druid challenge I thought I should introduce myself with some context, hence the life story below… I’ve fallen so far off the wagon that there is no wagon to get back on. The wagon has left and I need to find a new one: a wagon called ‘2016’. In my line of freelancing it’s feast or famine, so when I do work it’s all-encompassing and I’ll miss a few days, then a week of workouts, then I’ll feel I’ve failed the challenge and want to quit to start over again. Since I was last active on here a few months ago I’ve been running and kettlebelling very intermittently. I stopped logging food and maintained the measly 5lbs I lost in summer - but props to me for keeping it off while I ate everything NYC had to offer for three whole weeks! A couple of years of being in the habit of exercising paid off because I ran in Central Park and pretty much walked everywhere else AND did a hardcore vinyasa flow class, and I think that was the only reason I didn’t return to the UK as a small whale. As of 5th January 2016 I had two wisdom teeth removed and a coronectomy on a third (where they remove the crown but leave the root because it's sitting on a nerve) - they seal the gum over an exposed root. So between the appetite-suppressing pain, constant painkillers and liquid diet the most I've managed to eat in one day is 1200 calories - because I had ice-cream and a protein shake that day, but I'm averaging MUCH less than that. It's basically three soups a day, plus sugar-free jello/jelly for treats. The wisdom teeth are healing very well, it’s the exposed root of the coronectomy that’s a bugger. I can’t bend over at all without getting a massive headache, and at night I have to sleep with a ton of pillows to keep my head above my heart. It only stopped bleeding yesterday - three days after the operation (very slight, but enough to stop me doing anything to aggravate it). This is ruling out most exercise I regularly enjoy. I’ve delayed posting my challenge because I knew it started the day before the surgery, i.e. I knew the rest of the week would be spent resting. But like a lovechild of Odysseus and Pollyanna (it’s OK, she’s a fully consenting adult in this scenario) I’ve decided to use this to my advantage - as you can imagine, the weight is falling off me (long term goal is to get body fat down to 20%) and at time of writing I’ve got at least three more days till that pesky root dies and I can eat and drink like a human being again. You know things are bad when you cry with envy over your boyfriend’s vegetarian dinner… So the purpose of this challenge is to recuperate and renew. It’s going to be a very sedentary one - perhaps in preparation for the next one! tl;dr - I'm recovering from major dental surgery, rendering my favourite exercises out of the question, but I still want to do the challenge. I have just finished watching Twin Peaks for the first time as an adult, hence pictures below. Challenge goals Daily meditation. I’ve already practiced some mindful meditation for a few weeks with Headspace. Quite like it, but in famine-mode at the moment (see top of post) and can’t afford the ridiculous subscription fees. Discovered a lovely free app called Insight Timer, so will be experimenting with the huge variety of meditations on there. Specifically, I’d like to develop compassion for myself and for others. Yoga when I can. I can’t do any inversions for the time being, so I’ll be looking to do standing routines - any video links gratefully received. Run/kettlebell when the time is right. Yes, I meant for that to sound as esoteric as possible. I usually only listen to my body when it’s in pain; I want to build a habit of listening to it when it’s feeling good. And this goes with the whole mindful compassion goal. Coop's thinking if the time is right to run with that gun. Life goal Find a flexible and more importantly - achievable - work-from-home job that pays well and regularly. And isn’t surveys. And perhaps includes training for even better jobs. So far I’ve looked at website reviewing and audio typing (not worth it unless your WPM is superhuman). I usually work as a voiceover artist from home - but I can’t afford the fees for the website I subscribe to till I get paid the end of Jan. Again, any suggestions received with gratitude. And I'm looking forward to eating one of these again!

Day One Awoke early after a troubled nights sleep. Started the day with some damn fine coffee. As black as Bob's soul. No Cherry Pie in the fridge so made porridge with Blueberries and Raspberries. A good, honest breakfast. Followed the exercises in my standard issue field manual this morning: 20 x Wall Push Ups 15 x Kneeling Push Ups 6 x Full Push Ups 7 x Full Push Ups 5 x Shoulder Stand Squats 20 x Shoulder Stand Squats 20 x Knee Tucks 20 x Knee Tucks] 30 x Vertical Pulls 30 x Vertical Pulls A good workout but troubled by the presence of my old Sacroiliac injury from my last classified field mission. Dianne - The strangest thing happened whilst I was working out today. I was visited by two little people. One appeared to have not developed the use of his legs yet and may have been talking backwards. The other could only recite the words to the song "Let It Go" over and over. I suspect them of being interdimensional travellers from the Black Lodge. Perhaps a warning from Bob. To business. There have been reports of suspicious Owl activity at the local reservoir. Provided the wind conditions are favourable and my injury permits I will take my standard issue field bicycle to investigate. Signing off.