It has been a while...too long! A lot has happened since I last wrote. Moments of: joy, stress, limbo, relief, sadness, hope, healing and resilience. It's been too long since I have been able to do some of the things that make me, well... Me.
Cooking, working, exercise, entertaining, to name a few. But I am finally ready to embrace them and today was special since it started with exercise, then off to work with my Catalyst family, then an evening of cooking for my love and his son, topped off with an evening of writing with you and a post on my blog. May not sound like such a profound day, but given the days I have had the past six weeks, well it's extra special.
I left work feeling tired and knowing a trip to the grocery was in order, and was wishing there was an easy meal I could whip up for the three of us. It is funny how when it has been a while since you have done the things you love, that you can forget how much you love them (and they are usually the things that are good for you!). I chose to make a comforting vegetarian meal, another favorite that I have not made in some time. My tomato, onion, garlic, basil sauce over brown rice pasta with fresh Parmesan. Sounds simple I know, but what is so wonderful is how just a few delicious fresh ingredients can come together and create a beautiful dish. This dish is that for me.
It reflects how I am feeling today. Grateful for the routines in our life that can sometimes feel so mundane and boring. Take yourself outside of the routine and when you jump back in you realize the joy, beauty and fun that inhabits the routines. I started out by sharing how I missed my routines: exercise, working, cooking, etc… Sadly it took being removed from them to cherish them. But that is the gift of challenges in life. In one of my favorite passages in Gibran’s The Prophet he talks about Joy and Sorrow. It speaks to the beauty of joy and how without joy, we could not feel sorrow. And so, during this recent time of sorrow, I felt thankful because my sadness was a result of a great deal of joy that I would not want to give up. It is a passage that has comforted me many times. I encourage you to read it.
So sorrow brought me self-awareness to the joy that is in routines. Of starting out my day with walking my two lovely four-legged creatures, a run, a day at work with inspiring and challenging colleagues, creative space in my kitchen, and a meal with loved ones. Sometimes it just takes the simple things and the simple ingredients to bring back the joy…
