Sometimes I get caught up in what to share in this little newsletter. Especially in times, like these past couple of weeks, when I don’t feel like I’m creating anything shiny or brand-spankin’ new. I’m just going through the motions of living…and cooking as I can to keep all that living going (for myself and others.)
This week in particular, I was confounded with what to share with you. Yes, I know I’ve spent the past few weeks cooking (and creating!) new things for certain. Powerful, potent, delicious things — absolutely (if I do say so myself.) But none of these things were written into “recipes.” They weren’t recipes. They were happy, lovely accidents that may never be replicated the same way again.
This got me thinking about what a recipe is, and is not. A recipe is not a surefire pathway to success. It is not the only singletrack out of the woods. It is not a guarantee. A recipe is an invitation, a place to start. And from there, science and intuition take their hold. (These are ingredients in the outcome, even if they aren’t written into the recipe, you see.)
And then, I realized that over this past very busy month, overloaded with good work, inspiration, joy, challenge, insanity and contentment, I had created a little recipe for myself to stay grounded as the world (and my work,) swirled around me. A “recipe,” that allowed me to stay focused and strong, and to be my best. And even if it isn’t flashy, that’s quite a great recipe in my opinion.
So what is/was this recipe I’ve been using to stay sane/grounded/present/connected amidst so much travel, many long days (without weekends,) in a time when my honest task was to care for others and share share share? It starts with good sleep hygiene. And sometimes I’ve been able to get it, other times not. But even when only 4 hours of sleep (whelp) were available to me, I was able to awaken my mind + touch in with my body by doing some morning stretching, breath practices, saying a few little mantras to myself that I find meaningful – things that remind me to float instead of get fixated on the minutia. I write in my journal, make some tea and eat this bowl for breakfast.
The fact that my body has grown to count on a warming bowl of ingredients, put together to soothe, nourish, uplift, clean out, power up and turn on my body is certainly helpful in making this bowl a silver bullet. But frankly, it could look like many things and still be a thunder blanket; a simple, cozy tool for shielding + soothing when the dark clouds roll in, the lightning begins to threaten and it looks like a storm has rolled in. Under the blanket, everything is safe + secure. And, in this case, hugged ever so gently…by porridge.
This porridge has worked to keep me feeling excellent for several reasons.
As athletes, all of us, there are lots of qualities about this breakfast that will benefit all of us. Because we spend a good bit of our time passionately and quickly moving our bodies through space, we can almost ALWAYS use a little soothing, smoothing and grounding. And this porridge is great for that.
But, before you scroll down to the recipe for this delicious, favorite porridge let me warn you…. that this “recipe” for a porridge and a damn good granola, are only PART OF THE WHOLE RECIPE for staying balanced. There may be (and absolutely WILL be) ingredients and elements that fit your body and schedule better. And so the way to really make the most of this formula I’m sharing is to guinea pig a bit on yourself to see what works well for you. A few things to keep in mind:
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