Happily Transitioning

Between Christmas and New Year's is this special week that is a combination of winding down and gearing up. It offers the opportunity to let go of the things we no longer desire and focus on those we do... whether we'll be making resolutions or not.

For many people, this week includes more time with family and friends than other weeks do, as well as less time at the office, and plenty of leftovers to make meals easier. All of which can add up to the leisure to reevaluate our priorities. For me, I'm feeling thankful for the inspiration provided by mornings that start with a cup of herbal tea instead of e-mail, extra time to sit down with the ones I love, and the amazing feeling of having somehow made it through the holiday season without ever having felt frantic. Whew!

Even if you didn't mange to escape those frantic feelings, hopefully you're feeling good knowing that they're behind you... and you're excited about good things to come with a fresh year and a fresh decade!

Still Eating from the Garden

I got a wonderful surprise in my e-mail inbox earlier this week. A local woman wrote to let me know how much she enjoys reading my column in INK magazine and to ask me a few questions. It always makes my day to hear from readers--especially when they're being so complimentary!--so I was very happy to receive that...

But it gets better.

Her questions were about upcoming cooking classes I might be offering, what to do with all the mustard greens in her garden, and... would I like some of them? Would I ever? I love dark leafy greens and was so thankful to be able to accept an abundance of them from her. I made a soup with the mustard greens and some local wild mushrooms and kohlrabi that was a delicious autumn treat. And then I used the arugula, kale, and bok choy for salads, smoothies, and sautees. Such treats for November in New England!

The greens pictured are from her garden... and they taste even better than they look. I feel so lucky to have the kind of life that includes offers of local organic produce from people I've never met! What sorts of random abundance have come your way?

Outdoor Rooms

As fall enjoys a last hurrah before fading into winter, I'm savoring the little bit of warmth in these overcast days.

How do you like to make the most of this time of year?

In addition to favorite activities--going for walks, hula hooping, and raking leaves--I am savoring the outdoors in my favorite cozy spot: the tent.

Some people have gazebos, studios, barns, sheds, or other special buildings behind their houses. My outdoor room is a sweet little four person tent a friend of mine gave me this year for my birthday. Offering the privacy of being indoors combined with the joys of being outside, this silver and orange haven is perfect for afternoon naps, reading and tea, or late night star-gazing and wine drinking with a close friend.

I know I'll have to pack it up for the season soon, but every time I look out the window and see my tent out under the magnolia tree it makes me smile. So it stays another week. And with the unseasonably pleasant weather of the last few days I've been glad to have it still there.

What do you not want to let go of for the season quite yet? Do you have a seasonal space that lets you enjoy the outside with a little more protection from the elements and privacy from the neighbors?

Good Enough to Eat

New sources of inspiration are like candy that's good for you. I love them. I indulge frequently, enjoying the happy, buzzy, feelings they induce. The best part? No "crash" afterward...

Here are my latest places for a good fix:

Yes and Yes for embracing life.

Dorie Greenspan for delicious food writing.

My Delicious Mornings for gorgeous photographs and text about Bed and Breakfasts in Maine.

Where do you go to get inspired?

Time Flying?

The other day I overheard a conversation at the bank about how much faster time seems to go as we get older. The conversation ended with the comment that it's really a matter of whether or not we are slowing down to notice our daily lives, not a question of age. It surprised me to hear that said outside of a yoga studio--or my office--but the message was a nice reminder and exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.

The rest of the day I found myself thinking about what it is that makes each day seem so long when we're children. It's not necessarily that children have less structure or stress than adults, but that as children we have less awareness of time passing, of the future and the past. When we are more fully present to the moment, as children tend to be, we feel like there is plenty of time for everything we want and need to do. As we gain more awareness of the past and the future, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay in the present moment.

One of my favorite ways to reconnect to the present moment is to be intentionally more child-like. This means more playfulness, curiosity, and permission to take naps as needed. It means more giggling, sit-down snacks, and wide-eyed wonder. It also makes it a lot harder to have anything but a good day. Even when things get rocky, they're easier to handle in a child-like state of mind.

Observing Ourselves

We are so responsive to our surroundings that it can sometimes be difficult to even recognize how they influence us. I’ve had people come into my office with complicated theories born of their concerns about symptoms they’re experiencing, only to realize that they’re actually fine and their bodies are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do given the other factors in their lives that they were overlooking. When we observe ourselves in the context of our situations so much more becomes clear.

For example, I often go all day in hot summer weather without ever feeling hungry, but less than ten minutes after entering an air-conditioned space I’m thinking about what I want to eat. In that short amount of time my body has responded to what it interprets as a different climate and created new cravings and priorities. When I walk back outside, into the heat of the day, the hunger disappears and is replaced by thirst. Instead of worrying that this is indicative of a blood sugar imbalance or dehydration, I know that my body is responding appropriately to its environs. But it can be easy to overlook how strong an influence something as much a part of our daily lives as air-conditioning can have on us.

Someone was telling me just the other day that she has found eating seasonally to work very well for her. Just about the time she starts to get tired of eating so much of one type of fruit or vegetable it goes out of season, and another one comes to the forefront. It felt like she was speaking from my own experience. This summer I was particularly blessed with abundant access to the freshest of foods, with many of my meals made from just-harvested ingredients. And as much as I expected to miss asparagus and arugula after their spring season ended, I was too busy enjoying the abundance of perfect summer squashes, wild berries and purslane to feel like I was being deprived of anything that wasn’t in season at the moment.

Excerpted from the September, 2009 installment of my monthly column, published in INK Magazine.

Playing Outside

It is a gorgeous late October day. Warm and sunny, with birds chirping in the backyard, it is especially fulfilling after the preceding rainy, cool days. I chase a woodpecker away from attacking the side of my house. I pick up sticks that will soon be kindling in the fireplace. I look for chipmunks as I head back to the compost bin. And I savor it. It feels good deep in my bones.

But the best part is raking up leaves. The way they crackle and crunch, releasing their delicious scent, full of the promise of the rich soil they will become... the way they unleash memories of scooping them up, filling bushel baskets, jumping into their heaped up piles... the way they skitter across pavement to startle us, making us think we're not alone.

I used to play with leaves for hours. I remember making soups from them in my sand pail as I played in the stream that ran through the neighborhood. I added stones and stirred with a stick and really thought that that was how "stone soup" was made.

In both spring and fall I would chain the maple leaves together to adorn myself with bracelets and necklaces and crowns. As I played, sometimes rustling noises from deep inside a pile of leaves would worry me enough to make me burst into a run.

Today I am using my tiny wheelbarrow that is starting to rust through and squeaks very loudly as we go up and down the yard. I am playing with leaves. I am savoring the beauty of the day. And I am feeling so thankful to be able to play outside.