Why I am Going Hungry on Purpose: Day 4

Last night’s dinner – African Black-Eyed Peas Stew

And then came Day 4 of the World Hunger Diet

I’m really feeling it today.  My husband and I are still trying to mimic the diet of the 1.02 billion hungry people around the globe.  I feel a combination of fatigue and anxiety.  We were discussing the sensation this morning.  It’s not as if our stomachs are constantly growling or feeling empty, but we feel unease.  I actually thought I’d be shakier than what I have been.  I feel off. Besides feeling weak, there appears to be a thin curtain over my eyes.  All day I’ve been trying to see through it.  And my concentration?  Not good.  Just writing this sentence is requiring a lot of focus.  I had to backtrack a couple times because my fingers kept slipping on the keys.  I’m not even sure if coherent I’m sentences making…

Even simple tasks seemed complicated today.  For instance, I spent about five minutes looking for a pen I misplaced in a folder that was, incidentally, right in front of my face.  I have a cup of pens on my desk, and for some reason my brain cells didn’t make the connection that I could use another pen.  I then spent several minutes looking for a client’s cell phone number.  I found myself sifting through emails searching searching searching…instead of checking my cell phone.  Off.  I feel off.  And would someone please pull this curtain away from my face?!

My husband told me this morning how last night he was plotting to eat the ½ bag of blue corn chips in our pantry after I fell asleep.  Only problem is, he fell asleep before I did.  Upon returning from taking our puppy for a walk, he then confessed he had a small bowl of cereal in my absence.  I later learned he had a piece of peanut butter bread around Noon.  I blame him not.  We are eating an equal amount of food and he has an additional 70 pounds on me.  I’m surprised he waited this long.  He is five pounds lighter from the day we started.  Today, I weighed in at 117 pounds.  Someone asked about my digestion.  Interestingly enough, my digestion, while in lesser quantities, seems to be working just fine.  I know.  TMI.

I keep forgetting what I’ve just done.

I keep forgetting what I’ve just done.

I’m kind of jumpy and easily startled.  I have very little motivation yet a heavy workload.  It seems to be taking twice the amount of energy to accomplish my tasks. I definitely am short on tolerance today.

Despite what I anticipated yesterday, I managed to make it all day on just the one meal again…oh yeah and the chai as well just like yesterday.  Since yesterday I was anticipating having a small bowl of barley this morning, but I held out.  Today’s meal was the simplest, because I frankly didn’t have the energy to do much preparation.

Black-eyed peas with spinach sautéed in peanut oil on a bed of barley.  That’s it. Both of us have determined that for the past three nights, before going to bed, while we weren’t famished, we were acutely aware of the sense of hollowness in our bellies.  My husband describes it as, it’s a very unsatisfying feeling, but then again, I’m usually accustomed to having a full stomach because we usually eat so late at night.  I agree.  There were a couple nights last week that I clearly recall going to bed with a too full stomach – a result of eating about 9:00 pm.

The nutritional value for today’s meal and Chai:

I added some of that leftover asparagus to tonight’s meal, but am too darn tired to figure out the nutritional value.  We’ll just leave it at good but minimal.

Yesterday I read an article from The Austin (Minnesota) Daily Herald about a youth group from the Crane Community Chapel participating in a 30-hour Famine.  30-hour Famine is a project through World Vision, a Christian humanitarian charity organization to help raise awareness about world hunger.  The article continued on to detail how these young people not only fasted for 30 hours but gathered pledges, volunteered at a local Salvation Army, washed with dirty water and carried out activities with a prescribed ailment.  I connected with a few lovely people, including Pastor Dale, in search of the Youth Director’s contact information.  I then had the delightful opportunity to connect with the Youth Director, Colleen Hoeft.  Colleen answered the following questions for me and she suggested I check out World Vision for more information:

What (specifically) inspired you to create the 30-hour famine?

I didn’t create the 30 hour famine, this event/program is sponsored by World Vision. They are an excellent organization and have been holding the 30 hour famine for a number of years.  I have participated in it a number of times with different youth.  It is a great experience and teaches the young people so much.

What do you think was the greatest lesson the youth group participants learned from this experience?

That they take for granted things that are so natural to us, but are hard to get and have in many third world countries.  The clean/dirty water experience really opened the eyes of the kids.  When we just have to turn a tap on, and there are children in other countries digging in old reservoirs to find dirty water to drink and use.  Also knowing that they have food readily available, while in many places there isn’t enough to even go around.

What suggestions or recommendations would you make if others decide to embark upon a similar experience?

To learn what they can, not just go without food, but to recognize why one is going without the food.  Also if they are doing it as a fund-raiser for the hungry that the organization they give the money to is a reliable one that will indeed get the help to the people.  World Vision does more than just food, they also teach the people how to farm, give loans for small businesses, dig wells for clean water and set up clinics and schools and train nationals to take over the work.

Do you think the youth participants will be doing anything different in their lives as a result of the 30-hour famine?

I hope so.  I think that for a while they will think twice when they turn their water on.  When they find out how many children are being fed because of what they did, I think they will want to do this again.  I also had a teen approach me and ask if our group can commit to sponsor a child through World Vision.  That would be great and a long term commitment to help.  This event certainly made these young people more aware of the problem of hunger in our world.  It also showed them that even though many of these kids didn’t have much, they could do something to help.  They also enjoyed volunteering at the thrift store on Saturday and found that serving others is very rewarding and a lot of fun.  I was very proud of this group.

Thank you to Colleen Hoeft and the Crane Community Chapel Youth Group for making efforts toward alleviating world hunger.

In this world of plenty every human being has a right to food, clothes, decent shelter, and the rudiments of education.
~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton

To support the organizations I write about in this series, purchase a World Hunger: Be the Solution Tee.  Proceeds from the shirt will go to the Small Planet Institute Fund and the International Fund for Africa.  All tees are sweat free and available in organic cotton.  To see the selection of World Hunger tees at Conducive’s Humanitarian & Human Rights Tee store, click here

To follow this Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth from the beginning, click the links below:

21 Days for World Hunger:  Day 1

21 Days for World Hunger:  Day 2

21 Days for World Hunger:  Day 3

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 5

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 6

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 7

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 8

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 9

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 10

21 Days for World Hunger:  Day 11

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 12

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 13

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 14

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 15

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 16

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 17

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 18

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 19

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 20

21 Days for World Hunger: Day 21

Solutions for World Hunger: Part I

Solutions for World Hunger: Part II

Solutions for World Hunger: Part III