In These Dark Days...Make Soup

Darkness envelops just about everything in my life right now. No, I'm not a pessimist. I still see the beauty in nature and the joy of children playing and people in love. I still acknowledge and am grateful for acts of kindness and generosity. My life, however, is also filled with sadness: I'm seeing my 93-year-old aunt failing and falling (yes, literally) and struggling with seeing her own mental and physical decline. For ten months now (yes, all year) I've seen my sweet husband in and out of hospital beds, seen his spirit soar and then fall--SPLAT--back down and hard. My book project is on-hold. And then comes the cherry on these mud pies of life. Our president. His juvenile actions. Impeachment. Just...too...much!

Have you ever felt alone and overwhelmed, without any hope of finding your way back to your smiley face personality? Of course. We all have. This year has fought with me and it has taught me to keep going, keep trying, keep doing what you can. My struggles are not unusual. My people are loved and supported, and so am I. But... BUT, when dark days beyond your control appear and surround your own personal kind of hardship, what can you do? What I usually do is call a good friend. I have a good cry. I also make soup. Yes, soup. The meditative calm of preparing all of the ingredients for a pot of soup gives me the opportunity to embrace the quiet, to release the negativity and to find gratitude. As soon as my pot of goodness and healing is ready, I begin to improve, knowing that I can do this one thing from beginning to end--I can complete one of the circles swirling in my life today. I know that I can influence the health of two people, me and my sweet Dewey, and I most definitely know that I can enjoy the comforting and relaxing feeling of this soup in my mouth. My Greek Lentil Soup. A hug in a bowl.

Soup's on! Who wants to join me? Recipe here, https://bit.ly/2Bmx6Df