Writing . . .

I’m writing you to say . . . I’m writing. I am writing a lot. I am writing for school. For SOUNDheart, in my journals, in my head. I am writing letters. I am writing requests. So much written communication. And in all that writing I find less time and energy to write for social media or send out emails to my mailing list. I miss the opportunity to send out invitations, or share news.

I am not one to change without contemplation, or to act without reason- so I’ve been thinking about this. Why do I write? Why do I share it? Who is it for?

I write because I must. Call it a gift or a disorder, but writing is a form of articulation and communication and if I do not do it, I have a backup in my brain and body. Writing lets me “info dump” in a soothing way. And once I’ve organized and shared my thoughts in writing, my brain and body and heart are more free to be present. When I do not write I am often distracted by the whirling amount of connections being made in my head. Once written down, my body calms down, and my brain too.

I share my writing because I like sharing. I love connection. And over the years I’ve received feedback that the writing I share has been helpful to others. I also love being helpful. It’s part of who I am. So writing is sharing who I am, sharing myself.

Who is it for? It’s for all of us. I identify most with writers who wrote for the future. The ones we pick up now who wrote words decades ago for us to find when we needed them today. And, I know how valuable a security words can be. Words and writing can be a comfort and direction as we move into an unknown future. I write and share for those of us who are looking to find our way to a more peaceful future, me and you.

All this contemplation has led me to decide on a new practice. I’m going to be sharing my writing about all things (food, collective wellbeing, integrative wellness and Love) here in my journal again. I think that one of the barriers to sharing those invitations and emails and even social media shares is that it’s just too cumbersome to “post” to so many places after all the writing is done. I’m going to share here because it’s accessible to me. And it’s more accessible to forward and share from here as well. Anyone can find my words easily, and I can send out a journal post as an email or link. I won’t share all journal posts to email, but every now and then - at least once a month, I will. Because connection. Sharing is a bid for connection, and connection is something we all desperately need. It’s so human of us.

Spinach Pesto, a Constellation Recipe

Constellation is the name of Bridgework’s Buyers’ Collaborative. As part of that initiative, we share recipes and information for using and preserving fresh foods.

Spinach Pesto

This week, Constellation members ordered a large quantity of spinach. Fresh spinach can be used in a multitude of ways and easily frozen for later use. Most often, when spinach is sold fresh, it comes in 1/2 lb bags or bunches- for this reason, I created the recipe based on using a 1/2 lb of spinach. It’s quick and easy, so this recipe can be used to create a fast and fresh Spring meal, or can be used to set aside pesto to use with pasta, in soups, and on sandwiches in Winter. I envision adding it to our Friday Night Pizza on dark and cold nights.

If you don’t have a scale, and didn’t buy spinach in 8 oz bunches, this is what a 1/2 lb looks like. It is enough to over flow a salad bowl.

If making pesto in a blender, vitamix or food processor- it helps to put the firmer ingredients in closer to the blades and the more tender ingredients on top.

Puree the mixture until the ingredients are all incorporated. That half pound of spinach and the other ingredients should end up crushing down to about this much pesto.

If you are eating the pesto fresh with pasta, you can now add it to your waiting noodles. I usually reserve about a 1/4 of pasta water to add back to the pasta in the pot and then add the pesto and mix to incorporate. This is a pretty mild pesto, and can be eaten hot or room temperature.

If you are planning to freeze your pesto, you can now place 1/2 cup scoops of pesto on a baking sheet lined with parchment. I do not use re-usable parchment here because, once the pesto is frozen I cut up the sheet and wrap each half cup of pesto in the parchment before adding to the freezer container.

Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the pesto is solidly frozen, usually about 2-3 hrs. Then remove from freezer, cut the parchment and wrap each pesto serving completely in parchment before adding to your freezer container. I use wide mouth mason/ball jars or freezer bags. The parchment helps keep the pesto fresher and prevents any sticking between servings. When ready to use the pesto, remove from freezer and drop into soups and pastas, or defrost to use on sandwiches and pizzas.

Constellation Spinach Pesto
PREP TIME: 5 MIN COOKING TIME: 2 MIN SERVES: 4-6

Ingredients

Pesto:

8oz spinach
1.5 cups walnuts
1tsp salt
3-4 garlic cloves
Pepper to your taste
3.5 oz of parmesan cheese 1.5 tbsp olive oil

Materials for freezing:

tray and parchment paper

freezer safe container: mason jars, glass or plastic containers, freezer bags

Directions

1. Crush garlic and chop parmesan cheese into cubes.


2. Place these in a blender, Vitamix, or food processor first, followed by the spinach ( you might have to push it in there to fit), walnuts, salt, pepper, and olive oil.


3. Close the lid and process until all is smooth and the texture is consistent.


4. If you are eating the pesto fresh with pasta, you can now add it to your waiting noodles. I usually reserve about a 1/4 of pasta water to add back to the pasta in the pot and then add the pesto and mix to incorporate. This is a pretty mild pesto, and can be eaten hot or room temperature.

5. If you are planning to freeze your pesto, you can now place 1/2 cup scoops of pesto on a baking sheet lined with parchment. I do not use re-usable parchment here because, once the pesto is frozen I cut up the sheet and wrap each half cup of pesto in the parchment before adding to the freezer container.

6. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the pesto is solidly frozen, usually about 2-3 hrs. Then remove from freezer, cut the parchment and wrap each pesto serving completely in parchment before adding to your freezer container. I use wide mouth mason/ball jars or freezer bags. The parchment helps keep the pesto fresher and prevents any sticking between servings. When ready to use the pesto, remove from freezer and drop into soups and pastas, or defrost to use on sandwiches and pizzas.

Grief & Gratitude, April 21, 2024

I’ve been holding my grief and gratitude a little tighter lately. While I have complete faith in our ability to overcome what we’ve done to ourselves- faith and trust, if they are true, are based in reality. Clarity. Awareness.

I’m holding my grief and gratitude close because so many people get really upset when I express my belief we could actually be doing so much more for each other. I am incredibly attuned to assessing people’s capacity for change. I know we are not stretching enough and there are reasons for that, we need to address those. That’s how change works. And, my faith in us that we could actually do it, actually create a more peaceful world, makes a lot of people really frustrated. Even people who really want a more peaceful world. And, I love us so fiercely, I just keep trying. And goodness, it hurts. But, I won’t let go. I promise.

I grieve how many people want to talk about boundaries as in “no, I won’t do that for you” instead of “yes, I will refuse to harm them or us or me.” I grieve that we think boundaries are something me make and they can keep us safe. That we have decided to spend all our time there, protecting ourselves instead attending to where we cross someone else’s boundaries. Boundaries are organic. Crossing them severs the connections between us.

I’m grieving that we aren’t doing better. We aren’t trying harder, let’s be honest. And it makes people mad when I say this. But look, look around. Some of us are giving everything and some of us are just not.  What risks have you taken towards collective liberation today?

Some of us are really not trying very hard but feel like we should be and don’t know where to start so instead retreat. That’s not going to help us. Yelling at those retreating isn’t going to help us either.

I don’t say this to be punishing or mean. If I did, I’d probably get a better reaction, more people would probably relate to my fury if it was a punishing fury. But few people know what to do with requests for accountability except deflect them. Requests for accountability, they are bids for connection. We are all trying so hard to connect, to show each other what is needed.

We need more people building their capacity to give rather than caving to the conditioning. The cultural paradigms that got us here will not get us out. “What do you want us to do?” I want us to learn how to be together when we feel uncomfortable and I want us to feel uncomfortable about a lot more things. I want us to lean into learning a new way of doing almost everything.

We need more people capable of sacrificing. Learning how to do that in a way that is nourishing instead of depleting. I am so grieved by how little we will risk for what would amount to absolutely everything. I am so very grieved that so many of us would really like a more peaceful world and more leaders who care and more functional society- so long as it comes about without the loss of any comfort or security. Well. That, is just not how it works. I grieve that too, because it could have worked more that way if we had gotten started sooner. Courage is an essential element of compassion. We need to cultivate greater courage.

I’m grateful I did get started long ago. I’m grateful to have wisdom about the world, about what I know and what I don’t and where to look for new information. And about people. About how to do things subversively, often so subversively it goes unnoticed, bypassing systems of harm. I’m grateful I get to share it. Grateful there are people with who I am holding hands and standing heart to heart.

I’m grieving there are not more of us, yet. And grateful, that the only way forward is together. No one can be left behind. We will have to find a way forward together. There is no other way to get where we want to go. And because my faith is based in truth and clarity, I can trust that faith when it informs me that eventually, we will figure it out.

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