Disconnection

It seems that I haven't posted any recipes for a while. I have been reflecting on this lately, and have concluded that this is because I have been a bit disconnected from my food lately (amongst other things). It is something that I am very conscious of, and am working to recalibrate myself by eating more deliberately. 

With further reflection, I really thought about why I was off balance to begin with. It seems that it was a combination of many factors, but there are several key elements that I have identified. First, it seems that I have allowed myself to get caught up in the hustle bustle that is school. There are so many important things that I gain from being in school, but it can be so easy to get caught up in it. By that I simply mean that it is so simple to forget other important things in your life and only focus on school and assignments and grades. Don't get me wrong, I really value my education, but I recognize that in order to take as much from my in-school education, I need to allow myself to learn from my surroundings. In order to do this, I must further allow myself to be fully present in the here and now. Lately, I feel that I have not been so fully present. In refocusing myself and my food, I hope to be able to be fully present at all times. 

Second, it seems that again, the transition between fall and winter is taking its seasonal toll on me. Every year (as so many Wisconsinites, I'm sure can relate) my body responds to the fallen leaves and the cooler air by slowing down. In the past I have really struggled with this. That is, it seems that my body shuts down. Recently, Jill and I were talking about this and Jill shared with me a new insight on the fall-to-winter transition (and thank goodness!). Jill recently read a book which described this transition in terms of trees. Jill was reading a book entitled Horticultural Therapy Methods (2006). Here is a short snippet:

"A nature ceremony is one that aligns us with the season ... We might consider if there is something to be gained by the dark moods we experience during the winter months. After all, if we look at a deciduous tree in the middle of December, it would be easy to diagnosis it with depression. It has no fruits or leaves, and looks close to death. However, we know that the tree's response to the season is to draw its life force to its roots deep within the earth. Here it conserves energy and prepares for renewal in the spring." (17)

This fall I am faced with another challenge; that is, Jill and I are still working to eat non-packaged, local foods. It has been going so well, though we have been thinking a lot about how we will remain healthy through the winter time, without a bountiful of fresh produce. We have quite a bit of canned foods, but it seems that this winter will not be quite as colorful as past winters. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as there are many delightful winter treats. For instance, we have loads of local potatoes, canned tomatoes and canned fruits. We have plenty of dried beans and grains and are planning to do some home-cheese making. Also, we are in the process of raising some oysters mushrooms! This has been quite the adventure. This coming weekend we are going to try our hands at cheese making and hopefully soon we will start sprouting some grains.

I hope to be rebalanced and reconnected with my food soon. I feel confident that my reflections and recognition of my in-balance will be help enough to recalibrate myself. Look for more recipes soon!

Happy eating