Heart-Mind-Body-Soul: Man-tox Time (aka The Removal of Toxic Men)

Detox
(noun) Treatment designed to rid the body of poisonous substances, esp alcohol and drugs.

Reading over the definition, I find the words "poisonous substances" interesting. Are poisonous substances the only thing that you can rid your body of via detoxifying?

This is the second week of my "clean eating" and I have to admit that I'm feeling better. While I know I'm still not drinking enough water, it hasn’t been difficult to stick to eating fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Over the last week I have discovered (or re-discovered):

• How AMAZING summer fruits and veggies are.
• Cooking for one is ultimately really rewarding, but also a little depressing.
• Gazpacho while delicious is really just like eating a big bowl of pico de gallo.
LOOK FOR A YUMMY RECIPE FOR GAZPACHO THIS SATURDAY.
• It's really not that hard to make good choices while eating at a restaurant.
• When you eliminate the junk in your life, the simple things taste SO much sweeter!!!

It’s that last line that got me thinking about what other “junk” I can remove from my world to help me become a happier, healthier, more whole person. I decided in addition to a food detox, I also needed to do a:

Mantox
(noun) The process which involves removing men or a particular man from one’s life.

For those of you who know me, you know my history of men and relationships. You know that I seem to be perpetually drawn to the bad-boy who; has financial issues, is afraid of commitment is a player, has a huge ego, has a complete charming quality to them, likes to hear themselves talk, and has some “conflict” in their life that “only I” can help them with.

You also know that while I’m fully aware that the relationships I get myself into can be toxic, I continue on even if the outcome leaves me hurt. As a friend of mine said, I ALLOW the guys to take advantage of me.

Those of you who don’t know me, now you’re caught up. :-)

This leads me to my need for a MANTOX. How am I supposed to find the caring, confident, thoughtful, supportive man I deserve to be with if I still surround myself with men who talk big and take until I hurt?

There a few men in my life that I need to remove. The tricky thing about living in a city like Reno is you can never FULLY remove someone because of how small it is (they don’t call it the “Biggest Little City” for nothing). In my case the men on the chopping block are also people I see in the “real-world” so some interaction is inevitable. I realized that while our paths are bound to cross, there is no reason to stay friends with them. There’s a complete difference in being friendly and being a friend.

As part of this mantox, I plan on putting an end to all “interpersonal relationships” with these guys. While I hope that my social interactions won’t be effected, I’m willing to take that risk to better myself. And in the spirit of a true mantoxicification (???) I feel it’s time for a digital removal too. Yes, that’s right…time to delete phone numbers, emails, and most importantly ::gasp:: Facebook! I don’t know what it is, but I hold on to contact information like a hoarder holds on to…well, everything. It’s time to purge it all.

So if you are one of those who are scheduled for deletion, this is your open warning as to why you won’t be hearing from me. I didn’t lose your number, I purposely deleted it.

And in the words of the amazing, talented Taylor Swift (yes, y'all I'm quoting country):

You're a redneck heartbreak, who's really bad at lying.
So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time.
As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn.
Burn, burn, burn, baby, burn!