simplifying life food + love

practices from paris

Go after every single thing your heart desires without apology, andpause every now and again to remember what it felt like to wish fervently for everything you now have.

Jen Roy, friend & fellow lover of khichari

After bopping around with suitcases for 13 months and recently shifting my life overseas, it’s safe to say I have learned some pretty valuable tricks to pair down, simplify, and utilize the physical and mental tools we already have to make what feels complicated seem much more manageable.

Life:

• Shed the excess. If you have yet to read Marie Kondo or watch the Netflix series, I highly recommend it. In a nutshell: look at all you have, release what no longer serves you/a purpose in your life, thank it for all it’s done and say au revoir. Having most of my belongings in storage this past year has made me realize that we need very little to get by.
• Celebrate the simple pleasures. Take a walk without anything in your earholes. Laugh with a loved one. Make a meal or a matcha. Look around you in gratitude for what you have versus what you don’t. No need to overdo or overkill; no need to always be trying to make things “better” than they already are.
• Get to nature or somewhere unfamiliar/that sparks your curiosity. Surround yourself with things that make you feel both super relaxed and a little uncomfortable. Do your best to relax into both scenarios with a gentle attention and appreciation for the vast experiences and emotions that this life offers us, without always having to “figure things out” or have an answer. Enjoy the mystery.
• Play. Period. Dance/move, sing/read, write/watch something inspiring, draw/paint.

Food:

• Spice mixes make cooking simple by having one solid seasoning on hand. Divya’s cookbook shares recipes you can make at home, or call Chandika with code SAVEME10 to order Mom’s Super Spice masala – it’s been my go-to during my travels, and is currently being put to good use in my petite Paris kitchen.
• Grab fresh fruits/vegetables and greens each week. Stop in quickly to local markets if necessary. Many Paris kitchens have a 1/2 fridge, so I’ve equipped myself with simple essentials like apples and dried fruits, carrots and broccoli, kale and mâche.
• Dry good pantry staples like white basmati rice or quinoa, oats, and lentils are a great base from which to make relatively quick, uncomplicated, tasty meals like my khichari-ish one-pot-wonder. Purchase healthy fats like ghee and olive oil for both flavor and digestion.
• Simple does not mean boring / healthy does not mean complicated – they can both be [a mess and also] delicious! I even had a bowl of warm spiced oatmeal for dinner the other night because it was late and I didn’t feel like cooking. See below for my avo toast français – easy, quick and so yum.

Love:

• You are enough. We can choose to spend our whole lives trying to improve ourselves and critiquing our weaknesses, or we can choose to love [ourselves and others] as much as possible. Because why not? It feels good, and it helps others feel good too. Better than the alternative of spending this lifetime in constant pursuit of something “better” when we are awesome just as we are.
• Others are enough. If you find yourself judging: notice it, hold it with compassion, and be curious about where it comes from. Self-inquiry is challenging, but also incredibly illuminating; it can offer us a lot of ease when we learn how to work with instead of against people or things that feel uncomfortable. Remember we are all just doing our best.
• Love fully without hesitation or complication. Repeat after me: it’s OK not to overanalyze – we don’t have to understand everything and everyone. Love is a language in and of itself, beyond words, so allow it to show in your actions. It’s OK to be vulnerable; to be both a little afraid and totally exhilarated by someone or something else – so long as we remember that we are complete and whole just as we are.

In short: life is short and magical. Enjoy as much of it as you can.

Live, eat, and love well. Offer up as much love as possible, even if only a pinhole of light – it will ultimately light up your life [and heart] as a result.

Read the newsletter for a simple and delicious avocado toast français, Paris yoga happenings, Costa Rica February 2020, good tunes and good vibes.

Photo: Grant Henry Media for harMonica Designs.