My work is loving the world.
Mary Oliver
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,
which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.
The restrictions around food and wellness I’ve been working through the past couple of years have been softly shifting into a less rigid, more fluid life as a whole.
It’s a steady and ongoing goal; it’s been slowly unfolding as I continue to uncover the ways in which I’ve been able to calm down and lighten up a bit more around food [and other things, for that matter…].
It’s been an integration of:
- forgiving myself and our societal programming;
- observing those in my life who eat / live without worrying so much about it all;
- allowing food to be a celebration versus a measure of my worth or “enough-ness” [i.e. consuming and absolutely delighting in bread and baked goods regularly];
- giving myself permission to try things I might normally avoid [i.e. incorporating meat into my diet after 12+ years without it – a story for another time…];
- doing my best to uphold my personal standards without prohibiting or demonizing the zesty cultural culinary experiences I’ve been privileged enough to enjoy during this lifetime – whether buttery viennoiseries or farm-to-table vegetables.
I may never 100% disassociate from my conditioning. I’m here to tell you, though, that you’re not alone if you’re also re-configuring the nuances of how to care about the wellbeing of your body and our planet without wanting to take it all so seriously that it strips you from joy and stresses you out.
Thanks for sharing my food, yoga, mindfulness and wellness journey with me – whether as a student or friend, in-person or online [even TikTok, for now…], in class or on retreat. One of the best parts about all of these internal and external investigations is getting to experience it with and relate to one another.
Reach out if you need support around food and lifestyle choices that aim for longevity of mind, body, and planet. Check my variety of recipes and concoctions to spark your own kitchen experiments to boot.
Read the newsletter for a quiche concoction, upcoming Italy retreat details [talk about nourishing food…], coaching opportunities, discounts from like-minded brands, and good vibes.
Take good care of yourselves and each other,
xo
S
Photo: Cap de Nice with my favorite pain au chocolat / November 2022.
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