“Be generous with your insights and delights. Instead of fearing that they’re going to slip away and holding on to them, share them.” – Pema Chödrön

I struggle with the fact that food (in general) is my real passion in life but is in no way my profession.  I often romanticize about starting a butcher shop that specializes in local, sustainable meet products and sandwiches, but I’ve never gotten the gumption to do something about those fantasies.  However, the realities of life keep holding me back.  Questions nag at me when I think about his dream.

What would I do if I didn’t make money?  What if the business totally failed?  What would my hours be like?   What would we do for health insurance?  401K?  How do I reconcile this kind of business with a growing sense that I should eat less meat, or even completely go vegetarian?

Inevitably these questions and self doubt are too heavy for me to make the change.  Perhaps someday.  If not now, when?  When I’m fifty?

I’ve been reading a lot of books written by Buddhist practitioners.  They offer practical advice and guidance for living a life that is both physically and spiritually healthy.  I came across the quote at the beginning of this post in a book called Start Where You Are.  There are many ways I can live these words.  It occurred to me that sharing my cooking is one way to practice this teaching.

I spent the bulk of the week cooking for the Thanksgiving feast.  Since I have a bum left hand right now, the cooking was slower than usual and I needed to get some help from my family.  (I farmed out sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, both of which were lovely when they arrived at the house already prepared.)  I started on Monday, took Tuesday off, and then cooked most of the day on Wednesday and all day on Thursday.

Wednesday, Mrs. TKD wanted to get take out for dinner, to give me a break.  But I was determined to make a meal for our guests.  After all, they had driven between 5 and 9 hours to get to our house.  I thought they deserved a good meal prepared fresh, rather than some take out.  I knew that they’d appreciate a home cooked meal, and indeed they did.  And it didn’t take too much more energy out of me.

Thursday was, of course, a marathon of cooking.  Not only was it Thanksgiving, but it was Mrs. TKD’s birthday.  I started cooking at 7:00 AM.  Scones, pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  Then I started cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  It was an all day affair, even with the advanced cooking and farming out of some of the sides.

Before we sat down to dinner, I offered a blessing of sorts.  I’d come across these words in my readings over the summer.  When I was reading In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan, I was struck by his recommendation to offer a blessing at every meal.  I’ve not been a good practitioner of this suggestion, but I do like the suggestion.  The blessing need not be tied up with religious imagry.  They following words will do just fine:

Eating with the fullest pleasure — pleasure, that is, that does not come from ignorance — is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection wtih the world.  In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend. — Wendell Berry

These words remind us of our connections to the earth.  They remind us that eating is pleasurable, and rather than deny that pleasure, we should celebrate in this fact.  They also remind us of the gratitude and debt we owe to the creatures that sustain us through out our lives.  It was quite a feast, and everyone enjoyed it, as witnessed by the silence that fell across the room as we ate.

I think it is around Thanksgiving time in the States now, am I right?

Sweden doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

Is it because we don’t have anything to be thankful for? Of course we do.

Is it because we can’t remember what to be thankful for? Probably.

Sweden is said to be the most secular country in the world. To quote an online Biblical Ministry Organisation:

Years ago, I had a relationship with an Italian guy. He was a practising Catholic living in the most holy Catholic center of the world, Rome. I, myself, loved to randomly stroll into the city’s churches and marvel over their beauty and peaceful atmosphere, but I did not feel the presence of a greater force, more there than anywhere else. It wasn’t until I came with Paolo to Sunday mass that I fully understood the influence on people those walls had.

People joined hands, cheek kissed and looked each other in the eyes as they proclaimed their belief. I did just like the others, but I felt completely out of place. As if someone was talking to me in a strange and different language, I nodded and smiled, but didn’t quite comprehend the significance of the words.

I still don’t.

But as I grow older I understand the difference between organized religion and belief. And I realize, I believe in a lot of things.

The power of true gratefulness is one of them.

So before I go to sleep every night, as I usually lie on my acupressure mat,

I whisper thank you’s…

For the comfort and safety that life provides for me

For all the moments that have played out during the day

For the emotions I am able – and choose to feel

For the smiles and for the tears

For the insights and knowledge I gain by experience

For the possibilities that lay like invisible stepping stones around me

For everything’s perfect proceeding

For the unconditional love that is faultlessly rooted in me

And I give thanks to you for being a part of it!

Seriously, my favorite holiday of the year.  And it is because it revolves around food.  I have no shame. 

I’ve been floating around the internet for a few minutes, reading others’ posts about what they’re thankful for.  I’m thankful for many of the same things: family, friends, well-being, health.  But I’m really thankful I was able to stuff my belly full of the Thankgiving goodness that was placed in front of me.  Amen. 

And smiles.  I’m thankful for smiles.  I know… you can’t hold yours back either, can you? 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. 

Even to those of you who aren’t in America – I wish you a wonderful day of thankfulness and smiles.

It’s always good to have a fresh start.

So many regrets, so many misgivings, may it all be so much lesser from now on. =))

We’ve been cooking turkeys on Thanksgiving for literally hundreds of years.  The FOOD Network has devoted a week to showing people how to prepare Thanksgiving Day feasts.  Thousands of cookbooks can tell new cooks how to prepare turkey.  The internet search on “how to cook a turkey” returns over 90 MILLION results.

And yet year after year, the Butterball Hotline is swamped with callers asking questions that are answered everywhere.

What does this tell us about human nature?  About how people learn?

You’d think that after years of answering turkey questions, the Butterball folks could include a pamphlet with their turkeys that would provide all the answers.

And yet somehow I have the feeling it wouldn’t make a dent in the number of calls.

A very Happy Thanksgiving from my house to your house. Nothing political today. Just some fun.  Everyone needs a break. Click here. And Here.

For those that like games – try to guess whose claws, paws, fingers and toes are whose (answers below the montage).

Claws, Paws, Fingers and Toes -
Left to right:
Row 1: Black bear foot, Lace Monitor hand(?), Capybara foot
Row 2: Puma feet, Monkey hands, Chimpanzee hand
Row 3: Tapir feet, Malaysian Flying Fox, Meerkat hands
Row 4: Cotton-top Tamarin feet, Baboon feet
Row 5: Eagle Talons, Elephant foot
Row 6: Saki MOnkey fot, Turtle Foot, Snow Monkey Hand and Foo

Often, we find ourselves dwelling in dark places, with little joy, and we find it difficult to recognize the true gifts we have in life.  Perhaps these gifts are our parents, our children, or our spouse.  Perhaps these gifts are friends or teachers who have helped us along the way.  Maybe these gifts are simple pleasures in life, like a few minutes to relax after a long day or week, or a sunset (or even a sunrise).  We all have gifts in our lives, but sometimes they are easy to forget; and as a result we fail to give thanks.

We live imperfect lives –  in imperfect times.  One of our challenges, is to seek a path that does not aim to perfect but rather to accept life’s imperfection while working to improve life, to reduce suffering.  There is a great deal of suffering in this world.  Very likely, you suffer.  We all do in one way or another.  Your suffering may be physical.  It may be mental or emotional.  It may be caused by an ailment or a relationship with another person.  Suffering is the human condition.  And yet, we can work to reduce suffering, in our own lives, and in the lives of others.  One way is to give thanks.

When we give thanks, we acknowledge that our suffering has been relieved in someway.  It feels good to give thanks.  We smile when we say thank you.  It reduces suffering, not only for the person who is giving thanks but for the person how is being thanked.

This year, on Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things.  I’ve got good health, good family, good friends, and all the things for which we are usually thankful.  But what I’m most thankful for, is that I’ve discovered some ways to be more mindful in my life and these practices are making a difference.  I am thankful that I am feeling more joy and wonder even in imperfect times in this imperfect life.

BEWARE OF THREEKS

Have you noticed changes in modern cutlery?  I’m wondering if people’s mouths are bigger than they used to be, because most recently manufactured eating utensils, both stainless and silver, are HUGE.  The forks seem especially large–even dangerous for small children, or anyone who forgets to open wide. 

Q.  What is made out of stainless steel, is about seven plus inches long, has bumps, curves,designs, four prongs and comes with almost every meal? 

A.  A FORK! 

Exhibit “A”  (from home–plain ordinary forks)

We were out to eat with friends recently, and I not only noticed the large sharp teeth-like prongs of the restaurant forks, but I noticed they had only three prongs instead of four. ( Haven’t forks always had four prongs?)

Our friend said, “That’s because those are….”

Q.   What is made out of stainless steel, is about seven inches long, has bumps and curves, three prongs and comes with almost every meal? 

A.   A THREEK!  (hee hee)

Exhibit “B”  These were our threeks at Olive Garden.  Threeks do not stab pasta, string beans or peas as efficiently as forks.  Have you noticed?

Stockholm is sleepy today.

I close my eyes and open my ears.

D.O.A. – MUPPET MAYHEM!!! I wish I still had this record.

PS…must listen to the final 15 seconds

Is it me or are there suddenly more babies around? I seem to notice them more than before…

I think probably since about half a year the thought of children have began to cross my mind more frequently. I’ve always known I am supposed to be a mother and I am looking forward to the day when the time is ready. It is by no means in the nearest future, but still my head is getting used to the idea. I guess it’s only natural.

I guess it’s biological. Tic, tac…

I guess it is because more of my friends are becoming parents these days than travelling around the world. Even the least likely ones, like my girl friend from back home who used to be the typical single party chick. We were crawled up in Bibbi’s couch when she dropped the bomb and announced that she was pregnant. She has changed a lot in the last year and gotten very serious with her boyfriend so it wasn’t that unexpected.

I found myself looking at her in awe while she spoke of mood swings and physical changes and then I saw it; the glow of a pregnant woman.

She had never been more beautiful.

Speaking of children, I’ve been hanging out with Frida and her son, Mio, 18 months. He is a cool kid. Easy going and a lot of fun!

We went to Junibacken, Astrid Lindgren’s museum. She was the author of Pippi Longstocking and basically every Swedish traditional children story that I grew up with. The sound of her voice is as familiar to me as my own grandma’s. Mio is too young to appreciate the awesomeness of the museum but he liked the story train almost as much as me, Frida and Beatrice did.

At work there are kids around all the time. I hear them talk with their parents and I smile at their cleverness and wonder if I will truly realize the greatness of those moments, when those children are my own.

I will be travelling the world first. But I will be a mother one day. And I hope I will glow.

I am going to start a new contest with my blog. I love posting sneak peaks of the sessions that I have had recently. I also love for my clients to earn a little something, so I am offering a free 8×10 of their choice if their blog post reaches 10 comments!    It’s the simple things in life!

::ZinGZanGZunG presents::

for more informations click  HERE  happy shopping and lot of greetings, zyma