½ tsp curry
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cumin
Into a stock pot with some olive oil and heat.
Cut up one carrot, one sweet potato, one onion, and part of a butternut squash. Sauté and toss in the oil. Smelling the fragrance, add some stock and then let it cook for an hour or so over medium to low heat. Allow the magic to be cast.
On Thursday I had a guest for lunch! She was traveling from afar and I said I would have lunch ready for us. This was the beginning, some savory soup. While it simmered, I tossed together some yeast, sugar and warm water, let it sit and then added flour, more water, threw it on the benchtop, kneaded it 10-15 times and then left it for an hour to rise. I then chopped up some lettuce, fresh tomatoes, basil, cucumber, cauliflower and broccoli put them in a bowl, set aside and then put together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, lemon juice, honey and Dijon mustard shook that up and set it aside. Done. Showered and then dressed and waited for my friend to arrive. Life is about as good as it gets.
I am moving a little slower this morning which is normal after stressing the body to its limits. Wednesday was the planned event for the #hospiceactivitychallenge and I had covered 61 kms in one day. I cheated a little, because I added a couple of kilometres to the bike loops leaving less to run on the final legs. That’s okay, I do not think anyone will fire me for it. The slower moving reminds me that my body does get taxed when pushed and when taxed steps up to the plate for more. A day of rest, good nutrition and soulful thanks for a job well done will go a long way today. Self-appreciation and self-acknowledgement are key to being in right relationship with oneself. The event went as planned and tickety-boo, I was done something that was in the works for six weeks or more. After four hours all the planning, preparation and training had culminated into a successful event. I felt satisfied and I felt accomplished.
Race day at any given time is about proving one has prepared well. It is the reward for hard work and dedication and commitment. For some it is about winning, beating the others to the finish line and being the fastest, the shining star. The accomplishment of the race is made that much sweeter when a gold, silver or bronze medal is hung around your neck. While getting a medal is gravy, the meat of the story (for this vegetarian) is whether on race day I can accomplish what I have been training to do. Will I reach the goal I set? Can I complete the task? As race day begins nerves settle in, the brow is furrowed, and the focus is real. Self-doubt and low self-esteem are usually not invited on race day. Moral is high, spirits soar, and pending any accidental injury or equipment malfunction the finish line is a given to those who start the race. However, how does one recover when things do not go as planned? I wonder.
On my journey during the second loop of the cycling on Wednesday I was tested, and my arrogance checked. I was reminded and brought back to earth simply by the happenstance of the world around us. I was bearing down on the last five or six kilometers and was heading east on Canal Road. I had cycled out from home base (Green Valley Alliance Church) and had cycled to Hwy 9 (10 kms) before turning around and beginning the return journey. My spirits were high, and I was feeling good. I was on the last leg of the cycling and was about 45 kms into the 61 km goal. I was confident and strong and had a great rhythm. This is where I think people go wrong. They lapse into their cruise control, anticipating the next steps and for a brief moment step out of the present. They either go into the past and regret something or they anticipate the future and begin worrying. They step out of the present which then takes them away from what is happening right then and there. As I kept my head on straight and was watching the road and the beautiful day and counting my strokes (and my blessings), I noticed a car ahead of me sitting in a gravel parking lot to my right. Coming toward me on the left was a large truck (likely full of veggies). I watched as the young woman in the car began to reverse the car out onto the road directly into my path. Being centered in the moment, the present moment, I watched her reverse looking over her left shoulder toward the oncoming truck, and not checking back toward where I was coming from. It was slow motion like giving me the time I needed to realize what was happening. The speed I was traveling and the way she was reversing I quickly realized I was going to T-bone her passenger side door.
I began to brake, thinking she will pass by and I will just be able to swing around the nose of her car. Then, just as I had that thought, she turned, looked and our eyes met. She froze, hit the brakes and stopped dead. My plan that we would be a near miss with a song and a prayer now became a definite possibility of collision. I called out to her loudly, “keep going.” She did not move. I called again “GO! GO!!” and she still was just frozen in time. I could not go either way around her, because one way was gravel and the other way was a truck. I simply was forced brake hard, had the presence of mind to unclip my shoe so I did not go down clipped in, and came to a stop inches away from her driver’s side door. She then came out of her fear and realized I was saying “go,” continued her trajectory missing the truck and went on her way. I do not think I looked at her favourably, however did not curse her out, I simply got back in the saddle, clipped back in and continued on shaking my head and thanking my lucky stars.
I do not know who that beautiful dark-haired young woman was however I do wonder if she had to pull over or take some time to still her heart after that moment. She pulled away as did I, and in the seconds that followed I thanked whatever you want to call it that keeps the great book of secrets, that I was safe. I am thankful that my death did not change her life forever. I am thankful that my fun event, my hard work and my drive did not net me a cast or a broken back. I was so grateful I was present, watching around me and saw this unfold in enough time to prepare and to avert disaster. I hope she is okay and can know I am not angry with her. These things happen. She did not set out on Wednesday morning thinking I am going to take out a cyclist today. Accidents happen, that is why they are called “accidents." That said, accident maker whoever you are…we robbed you of this one! She and I did that, we robbed you! These particular moments are a recipe for disaster and when we do not pay attention to the ingredients, we put into our lives, we often end up spoiling the final product.
My friend came for lunch on Thursday and was giving me such praise for my accomplishments and my hard work. We have known each other for over 20 years now. We have each seen good days and challenging days. She has seen me at my worst and watched as I struggled to make life right for myself and she said she can see I am completely happy. My recipe is working! What I am putting together in this bowl called my life, is fitting together well and the ingredients are melding, stewing and coming together to be something delicious, like the soup I made us for lunch.
We sat down to eat. Homemade soup, bread and salad. A very basic lunch however this basic recipe is what made it so good. I put it together with love and with heart and when we focus on simplicity and keep things earthy, homemade and crafted in the moment we can avert disaster sometimes.
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, all-in-all though, we are the chefs in our own kitchen and more often than not, it is our own cooking that spoils the recipe of life. If life is not working, get a new recipe book and change the ingredients!
Cynthia Breadner is a grief specialist, a soul care worker who offers one-on-one homecare for aging adults who choose to age in place. This care includes emotional support, physical care, mental well-being, and spiritual practices to sooth the soul. She is a volunteer at hospice, LTC chaplain and a death doula, assisting with end-of-life for client and family. She is the mother part of the #DanCynAdventures duo and practices fitness, health and wellness in the South Simcoe and North York [email protected] breakingstibah.com
