I've Never Had a Favorite Color

Colorful Quinoa Salad:  There is something about color that makes food taste better, don’t you agree? I believe we crave certain colors when we need certain nutrients.  The Parsley in this recipe is crucial to the flavor, so as the garlic does not overpower everything else.

2 Cups Water

1 Cup Rinsed Quinoa (any variety of color)

2 Roma Tomatoes, Diced

1/4 Cup Red Onion, Chopped

1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped

2 Tbs. Hemp Seeds 

1/4-1/2 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

1 Avocado Peeled, Cubed, and Marinated in a 

bit of Lime Juice and Redmond Real Salt

                                                               

Dressing 

1/3 Cup Olive Oi

1-2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

2 Tbs. Lime Juice

Redmond Real Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil.  Add the Quinoa and lower the heat to simmer, covered, until water is absorbed.  This should take 15-20 min…waiting while you chop up the veggies, and prepare the dressing.  Take the quinoa off the stove and rinse in a fine sieve colander with cold water.  Combine all ingredients in your favorite serving bowl, excluding the avocado. Chill for about 2 hours. Add the Avocado.  Serve.  Smile.

Love Your Colors
One of the best compliments I ever received was from a friend as she was soon to move to another state and say our goodbyes.  She told me that I was one of the most balanced people she knew.  This took me back, because I had always viewed this as a weakness, not a strength.  When there are several interests, hobbies, passions, and desires, it is very difficult to achieve anything of much visible substance.  It makes you a very well-rounded person, but not the most accomplished.  I struggled to decide what I was to choose to do with my life.  People here, and there, tell you to do, or be, this, or that, but all I really wanted was to do what I loved, for the sake of loving what I do.  My friend saw this as an attribute.
We are brought up to choose one path, one place to focus our efforts.  I felt pressure in college because I had too many things I loved, and couldn't do them all.  I started with a ballet scholarship, moved on to pursue recreational therapy, spent lots of time in the earth science department, loved chemistry, loved botany, and herbology. I appreciated the visual arts, as well as the performing arts, so therefore sang in choirs, took ceramics, painting, and learned the guitar.  I attended rock climbing, kayaking, and backpacking classes and excursions.  I was an English major for a time, until I had to discontinue because of a parasite I got visiting in Puerto Rico.  Why was I in Puerto Rico? There was a family that I had been working as a volunteer with their daughter, Nesta, who had mild autism.  I joined them for their family Christmas vacation so that therapy could continue during the holidays.  Nesta taught me more than I ever could teach her.  This developed into a desire to help children with autism as a music therapist.  I went back to school yet again, where this idea evolved into creating my own major--something that I'm very pleased that some schools are doing now-days.  I combined studies in psychology, music, and writing.  After our second child, I gave way to the love of motherhood and decided there was simply no need to go back to school for the time being.  I had learned so much.  Yet it felt like so little.
Whenever I focused in on something in particular, there would be progress.  But I am happiest when I choose to flow freely from one love to the next.  I love all my colors.  My mother told me that an Orchid flower at one time gives it's energies to the leaves, ands at another time, puts forth effort to the flowers.  I decided I'm very much like an orchid.  However, it's probably good I didn't pursue being a botanist-- I unintentionally kill most of my plants.

 When I was a ballerina, there was a lot of pressure there as well.  Realistically, being a great dancer takes a huge amount of discipline, and commitment.  Maybe that's why when I finally moved on, I arrived starving to the bountiful smorgasbord of college curriculum.  Growing up a bit since then, I hope not to lose the passion for learning, but I also hope to be more focused. 

"Sometimes, we make an intentional choice to lead out-of-balance lives in order to pursue a particular passion or goal." ~Caroline Adams Miller, lecturer in positive psychology, describing the intense training of Micheal Phelps, Olympic Athlete.

This quote was in a magazine I found laid open on the counter one day at work.  This particular day, like many others, the feelings of being imbalanced were mounting.  I had been working on writing my book for several months.  Choosing to focus on the recipes seemed the most practical way to proceed, because cooking is relaxing, and I want to feed my family anyway.  Somehow it seemed important to communicate to people my true passion--having balance in life.  But how could that be done when it felt like hypocrisy for me to be spending hours on end in the kitchen? Sometimes to the point of ignoring other responsibilities?  Sometimes, it didn't even feel relaxing anymore as I was working towards my goal.  Like the Orchid, I was paying a lot of attention to my leaves, but dearly beginning to miss my flowers.  This quote must have been heaven sent, because my guilt was removed.  It became a conscious choice and a labor of love.

Practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Flow has given me so much creative freedom.  It feels like spontaneous choreography.  There are so many asanas to be combined in so many beautiful ways.  Flowing from one posture freely to the next.  Breathing in conjunction to the constant movement.  With the breath, there is movement even in stillness.  Moving away from feeling too predictable, but the flow is familiar, like a song your not quite sure if you've heard before, or it's newly born.  There are endless colors.  Combinations of people, ideas, flavors, are all there for you at the bountiful smorgasbord.  What will you have today?