Dry July, August 4th

So many celebrities are asked about how they would spend their one perfect day. A chef is often questioned about preparing her perfect meal. Kids are told to write about what they want to do on their holiday away from school. And all of these answers have one thing in common. They start with a good night’s sleep the evening before. To be able to brave the day well rested and to excitedly jump into the activities on tap (or lack thereof) sleep seems critical to maximize the forthcoming hours of enjoyment.

Creating a sanctuary of sorts in your life is so important to rest and recharge. Ridding your space of harmful toxins, narcissists, clutter, and noise is essential to prep for a fitful night of sleep. So I decided to take this concept one step further. What if I could rid my life of harmful elements for an extended period of time as a test? This seemed like an interesting idea. So I created something I decided to call Dry July. I wanted to live a month without, and it had nothing to do with alcohol. Now you probably remember that I’m not really a drinker. I can go for a Piña Colada once a year or a sip of Michael’s fizzy something or a taste of a Mule of some sort, but generally I don’t partake. So I wanted to customize a month where I abstained from a whole bunch of things that I thought were harmful or addictive for me. But first I had to create the daunting list. And I wanted it to be hard. That was part of the self-imposed challenge of a Dry July.

The very first thing I kicked to the curb was fried food. No chicken fingers, french fries or scrumptious apps for the month. Thirty days is a long time but I was up for the challenge. Also bacon was a goner. I know it’s the best taste ever but if I was determined to go dry, those crispy strips were on the chopping block. And here’s a biggie… shopping. I was prepared to only purchase the essentials for food, household items or life emergencies like car, health, etc. And then I saw this book and knew I was onto something…

For me no shopping meant no clothes, shoes, or accessories. No crazy buying at Zara. No tempting summer sales items from J.Crew. No knick knacks, unnecessary decorations, home improvement paraphernalia, or fun little doodads. And no more impulse shopping near the handbag register at Bergdorf’s. I was determined to checkout with nothing. Nada. So pushed to the waste side was grease and shopping. I was off to a very ambitious month.

Four days in and I had already f*cked up! At my insistence, Michael and I ended up at Chickie’s and Pete’s for an early dinner on July 4th after a fun pool day and dove into a generous order of their famous Crab Fries. We shared, which was a mitigating circumstance, and our other selections were actually healthy– steamers and tuna tacos sans shells. But the Crab Fries were an epic fail. In my defense they were awesome– completely seasoned, salted, crispy, and the melted cheesy dipping sauce was liquid perfection. (Is that a defense??) So week one was a bust, but I knew I could do better. The good news was that I didn’t shop at all, which I did factor into my overall score. Tally for the week: Passed by the skin of a Russet potato.

Week two was much easier. I was back in the City and I don’t own a deep frier. The weather was mostly rainy which meant a lot of indoor screen time, but I was able to pry my grabby fingers away from saying yes to alluring online sales. I did have a few meetings that involved meals, but I kept my deep fried selections in check. Whew. Score for week two: A salubrious success. (I just learned that word! It means healthy, like healthful and wholesome, or describing things that are favorable to the health of the mind or body. You’re welcome.)

I was halfway through the challenge and the shopping abstention was really wearing on me. Week three was tough. Loft had major sales on super cute shorts and the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale was notifying me daily… but I was determined not to partake. Instead I distracted myself by creating my Paris wishlist for the fall adding a cute puffy black vest by Herno, a work-worthy striped blue and white button down shirt from French designer Balzac and a super cool cutting board from La Trésorerie. Score for week three: Incroyable!

Week four was the hardest even though I was leaning for the tape. I was on a business trip and the Ritz Carlton hotel for the conference on Amelia Island had multiple fancy gift shops with gorgeous pool coverups, cute beach totes, and lots of covetable takehome food items that didn’t qualify as necessary. Big sigh.

And the stores in town were so cute and had this beacon of truth that called out my name.

To literally pour salt into my wound, adorable tots were enjoying kid’s meals poolside and their cute boxed lunches all included golden hot and crispy fries. I wanted to stick my head in the sand to avoid stealing a few! Score for week four: Five stars, and not just for the resort.

And as Dry July came to a close, I did not celebrate with a five fingers salute of chicken or a Target splurge because going forward I would like to really limit my fried food intake and curtail my scandalously shoppy ways. All in my only indulgence was the Crabby fail on day four and I might have bought a book on Amelia Island to support a local bookshop– but that is a mitzvah and not a crime. Not perfect but also not bad for a thirty day challenge. This retail and refried retreat was a great way to challenge myself. I’m glad that I did it, and I’m also glad that it’s over.