I thought I knew it all in 12th grade.
The final assignment for my high school senior French class was to read Camus and Sartre, and write about them.
My French was not great; I was still trying to master English as my second language at that time. But after reading (translating) L’Etranger and Being and Nothingness, I thought for sure I knew the meaning of life. 馃
I know, right? Me and all other 17 year olds alive!
At any rate, that was the beginning of my inquiry toward existentialism. It was exhilarating to ponder the meaning of life, the reasons for existing, the purpose of being.
I delved into some more topics around “why are we here” in college, only to be more confused.
- I wrote papers in a Zen Buddhism class comparing science and religion and their answers to why we are here.
- I studied alternative healers and self help gurus to learn their take on why we are here.
- I’ve watched documentaries and listened to many books and lectures that tackle the idea of why we are here.
While it’s been fun to learn, many years later, I no longer have an answer to why we are here.
In truth, I no longer need to answer that question!
The WHY is no longer important to me.
We are here, that’s a given.
I am more interested in answering HOW we are here.
HOW are we living the “being here.”
We can answer by asking further with:
- How do we want to feel?
- How do want to experience the being?
One of the ways I like to be is to notice what and how I am feeling in each moment.
- How are YOU feeling in this moment?
- What are you feeling in this moment?
I know for sure that I feel nourished AND nourishing when I make this for and eat this soup with my family.
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LENTIL MINESTRONE SOUP
Ingredients:
- 2聽tablespoons olive oil
- 1聽medium yellow onion,聽diced
- 2聽medium carrots,聽chopped
- 2聽celery ribs, sliced
- 1聽teaspoon聽sea salt,聽plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3聽garlic cloves, minced
- 1聽(28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2聽cups聽white beans or kidney beans,聽cooked, drained, and rinsed
- 4聽cups broth
- 2聽bay leaves
- 1聽teaspoon聽dried oregano
- 1聽teaspoon聽dried thyme
- 1/2聽cup green lentils
- 陆聽cup聽chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon pesto
- Grated Parmesan cheese,聽optional, for serving
Instructions:
-
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
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Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and several grinds of black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
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Add the garlic, lentils, tomatoes, beans, green beans, broth, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme.
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Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
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Stir in the pesto and cook, uncovered, for at least 20 more minutes, until the lentils are soft.
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