Heading out into the world this morning, I felt.. heavy. Physically. Emotionally. Like overcooked oatmeal that you have to scrape out of the pot and thwack off of the soon. It was a tired kind of miserable that takes some elbow grease to scrub off of you… just when you’re out of elbow grease. I tried to stretch it out last night as I watched the thunder dance around in the windows. I told myself I would wake up and feel better, lighter. It didn’t happen though. My mood drew me back to the pages of Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart. I think everyone would benefit from having a copy of this on their shelf. It’s full of gems like “we can make ourselves miserable or we can make ourselves strong. The effort is the same.” Fair. Ouch. I’ve leaned into this book a few times in my life while I swept up a sad mess. The biggest take away has always been Tonglen. This Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice dates back to the 11th Century when leprosy was running rampant and suffering was at all time high. Tonglen is contrived of two terms “tong” which means “letting go” and “len” which means accepting. Two things you could say I have struggled with. This is exactly the sort of thing that the smoking, spitting, riotous little punk rock girl that lives inside of me scoffs at. But she’s a young angry jerk and so I send a little tonglen to her too when I practice. The goal is to shift our attitude towards pain and to open up the heart. To become more loving and kind as we melt through the pain around us. The practice is focused on taking the pain of others and breathing it in fully. Allowing them to relax and find peace. It is designed to help awaken our compassion and use it to help and heal others. I highly recommend it and if you want to join me there is a guided meditation below.
Day 138: Marinated Salad: Kale, mint, cucumber, peach and blueberries marinated in a quick summery dressing. Garnished with sun flower sprouts. It works like ceviche. You that raw experience but the citrus and oils break down the greens a bit blend with the fruit making it delicious and easier to digest. Kale works well because it is so sturdy. This would not be something you want to do with spinach or arugula. It will faint, fold and wilt in this application. Cabbage, kale, Romaine hearts.. they can handle it.
Dressing:
1 lime juiced
1 Tbs coconut oil
Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
1/2 oz of kombucha (I added this just before I started eating it simply because it was in my hand and it was the last splash before I tossed the bottle in the recycle. 10 of 10 would splash again).
Toss the greens in the dressing and give them an aggressive squeeze to begin the “cooking” process. Then add all the other goods, give it a toss and let them settle in together. Let it chill for 20/30 minutes and then eat! Huzzah!
P.S. I am pretty into how intense my mask + adult blanket (Kaffiyah) combo is.. I’ve been dragging this kaffiyah around with me for 5 or 6 years now. It saves me from the arctic style air conditioning that Texas loves so much during the summer and makes me feel less socially anxious.. although I think this look might make others anxious. What can you do?