the invitation

it doesn't interest me what you do for a living
i want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

it doesn't interest me how old you are
i want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

it doesn't interest me what planets are squaring with your moon..
i want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

i want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

i want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wilderness
and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

it doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
i want to know if you can
disappoint another 
to be true to yourself.

if you can bear the accusation of betrayal 
and not betray your own soul
if you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

i want to know if you can see beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
and if you can source your own life
from its presence.

i want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, 
"yes."

it doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have
i want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

it doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here. 
i want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

it doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied
i want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

i want to know if you can be alone 
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.



                                  "the invitation"
                                  -a poem by oriah mountain dreamer

still

it is still.

it is still winter.

it is still winter here in milwaukee.

 

shanti

"a mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. the ocean is made 
up of tiny drops of water. even so, life is but an endless series 
of little details, actions, speeches and thoughts. and the 
consequences, whether good or bad of even the least of them are 
far-reaching."

-sivananda

travel

"Travel is more than the seeing of the sights; it is a change that 
goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."  -Miriam Beard

walnut butter

back to talking about my love for walnuts…

so, i’ve tried numerous times to make nut butter. i’m not sure what it is. maybe i’m not patient enough with the grinding? do i use the vitamix or food processor? do i need to roast the nuts first? maybe i’m choosing the wrong nut/seed? is there a wrong nut/seed?

well, after waking up to find a certain someone had finished off the sunbutter and my adoring thoughts for walnuts swirling in my head, i was determined to make some walnut butter.

sara b., the author of an amazing blog that i really enjoy reading and have learned oh so much from—-> http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/ <—– talks about the importance of roasting nuts. i’ve known that when you roast nuts you release the oils which enhance the flavor but i never really realized that it helped with digestion as the body doesn’t have to work as hard at breaking down/digesting the nuts. makes sense.

a flavor boost. natural oils released so there’s no need to add extra oil. and it’s easier on my tummy. roasted it is!

walnut butter

 

2 cups walnuts

sea salt

 

preheat oven to 350F. Roast nuts for 20-30 min. taste them periodically to check on “roast” factor. i actually kept them in a bit too long and they ended up with a deep nutty walnut flavor. i enjoyed it but some  may not so i would say probably don’t let them bake for 35+ min….

once done, let them cool completely. pour them into the food processor and blend, blend, blend. you will need to stop often to scrape down the sides but if you’re patient and don’t give up, you will have amazingly creamy and delicious walnut butter!

 

franklin is so nosey! 

after successfully making walnut butter i wanted to conquer sunbutter, my vice. seeing as sunbutter can cost a pretty penny and i go through a least a tub a week if not more, i was hoping to make a homemade version that would help my pocket book. i found a tasty looking recipe on another great blog —->http://www.choosingraw.com/homemade-salt-kissed-vanilla-sunflower-seed-butter. the first time i made it i used the vitamix and it was a flop. i even added oil to no avail. the second time, using my food processor, it worked! i can eat this stuff by the spoonful. and i do.

penelope

six months ago this incredible little bundle of joy came into the world.

meet penelope, my niece.

picture bombardment begins now.

i’m crazy for this beautiful little being.

change

Life remains the same until the pain of remaining the same becomes 
greater than the pain of change.