Spiritual Weapons Locked And Loaded

God's will is that we are not controlled by anything but His Spirit, and fasting (combined with prayer) helps us be much more sensitive and responsive to the Holy Spirit (as well as being more obedient to God's Word).  It also moves the Holy Spirit to be more inclined to be responsive to US. -from one of the websites

I am feeling much better now, working on my 4th day without drinking, without coffee, and without cigarettes; except for the one that I ran out at three in the morning to bum from a girl at the bar up the street a block from the apartment; and a puff or two here and there from ones that I find on the sidewalk on my way to the nearby Rouses Market for juice and water.
I have also picked up some "detox" type of tea, which has burdock root, and about 12 other herbs in it.

  A blend of Organic Red Clover with Burdock and Dandelion supports the liver in eliminating toxins. Finally, we add Fennel and Cinnamon Bark that can help maintain circulation and healthy digestion. Enjoy Healthy Fasting as a tasty addition to your dieting or fasting program!*

The asterisk, of course, points to the fact that the FDA has not "evaluated"  this statement.
Of course they don't want to evaluate it because they are being paid off by lobbyists for the beef producing cartels; and the McDonalds of the world to keep their mouths shut.

And so, in about 6 hours I will have made it 4 days without a drink; and I will grit my teeth and go out to play in the Quarter without taking my lighter with me. Why would I need a lighter, I don't smoke, right?

I am going to play at the Lilly Pad with only a gallon jug of water besides me. I have taken 4 days off from playing. Lilly is going to ask me where I have been, probably, and tell me that she was worried.

I really felt that I needed to relax and detoxify. I don't know what had gotten into me, but I was suffering from the worst eczema that I have had in a long time; and I knew it was from something that I was doing daily, because the attacks kind of ebbed and flowed in a 24 hour cycle.

It could be that the cheap dollar store instant coffee that I had been mega-dosing has got some additive or pesticide residue in it; or it could be tied to the cheap gin and vodka that I had been overusing each night (combined with the fact that I wasn't consuming much nutrition the week that my food card ran out; except for whatever I was mixing the booze with).

And my caseworker Tim, who doesn't smoke, suggested that "It could be the smoking."

It is probably due to some complex chemical reaction whereby the cheap gin hit the tar from the cigarettes which was stuck to my throat and produced a chemical which the cheap instant coffee converted into a carcinogen; and maybe this detox has come just in the nick of time.

It seemed to be taking forever to feel any relief, hence the 4 days off from busking.

OOPS!

I realized that I had left God out of the equation, and that I usually fasted and prayed or meditated in conjunction with it, but this time I was just fasting "scientifically" and was having at the depressing dreams and feelings of fear and doubt.

Busk At Your Own Risk

Then, last night, I Googled "fasting to quit smoking," just for the heck of it; and was amazed at how many other people had discovered fasting as either the quickest, or the only, way to accomplish that.

I copied about 25 pages from a few sites and took them back on my data stick to my room, where I sat on my bed and read them from my laptop, while alternately sipping Yogi fasting tea, and apple juice.

I finally prayed, sometime during the morning.

It could be coincidence, but, on my way to Rouses Market and back, about an hour ago, it seemed like everybody was smiling and greeting me. I had picked up a gallon of distilled water, a small bottle of green juice; and a gallon of apple juice; and the Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer tea.
Fasting is costing me more at the grocery store than eating was....

It might be a decent night busking after all. I have had the same $4.89 on me since Monday night, when I spent myself down to that amount with the purchase of the last half pint of rum....

Or, it might be a rain-out of a night. Hopefully I will make at least enough for the cable car each way, in between raindrops.