There are so many rules to follow:  so many ways we can look outside of ourselves to see what is going on around us.  It is such a big distraction from what is going on for each of us individually.

Getting comfortable with yourself

Away from the politics and all the numbers we are given daily regarding Covid, there is much more going on.  On a spiritual level, we are having an inward journey.  By isolating, we get confronted with ourselves.  We first see our limitations, and can then begin the work of accepting, overcoming, or working around these things. Being an introvert is a blessing at this time.  Being an extrovert is quite a challenge! Regardless, it takes time to adjust to our current reality and the presence of ourselves being more exposed in this space.

Many of us thought, “2 weeks, I can do that!”  Now we are at 3 months and only now very slowly opening up.  There also might be another wave this fall.  Best to make friends with the parts of us that are uncomfortable right now.

I know to stay away from watching too much television.  I have been drawn to doing more jigsaw puzzles instead.  It is very calming for my active brain.  As I get into the next puzzle, then doing them all over again, I see that it is my need to solve people’s health issues that is the same as my desire to find all the places that puzzle pieces fit perfectly.  So there’s my self awareness!

It is important for my happiness to be positive and choose activities I like to do.  Besides the puzzles, I make sure to listen to calming music every day.  My favorite station is Classical 96.3FM out of Toronto, Collingwood and Coburg.

I spend time in quiet, being creative, either cooking, gardening or walking or some of each.  When doing all this, I am conscious of nurturing my spirit and taking care of myself emotionally.

Here is a video that really makes me think perhaps we were meant to go through all of this for our spiritual evolvement, regardless of the politics and details.

 

More food ideas

There are people that have never really cooked for themselves.  Yes, it is a lifestyle choice, especially in a large city.  However, even if we know how to cook and enjoy our own cooking, it can be a challenge to do for months without a break. I have my food routines and try to find variety every week.  Here are another 2 recipes for you to try:

Quinoa Greek Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 2 green onions or ½ small red onion diced
• ½ cup crumbled herbed feta cheese
• ½ cup oil and vinegar salad dressing
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried mint
• ½ to 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup black olives

1. Add quinoa to 2 cups of boiling lightly salted water and cooked with the lid on for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. Mix all other ingredients together into the quinoa and add seasoning and salad dressing to taste.

Cole Slaw

• 1 cup green cabbage, savoy cabbage or Napa cabbage
• 1 cup purple cabbage
• 2 green onions or ½ red onion
• ½ cup fennel
• ½ cup carrot

You can be creative with the content depending on what you have on hand.

I slice these and then mince them in a hand held processor.  There is a brand called Star Frit that is available at many stores like Canadian Tire that makes this mincing very easy.  I still use a hand grater to grate the carrot.  The hand held device is not great with carrots.

Dressing:

•  ¼ to ⅓ cup mayonnaise (I use avocado based mayo, since I prefer not to use canola or soy oil.
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (this really lightens up the dressing)
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• celery seed and or other dried herb mixtures
• a little sea salt (Herbamare is my favorite)
• a little pepper

Mix into the minced vegetables and add variations to the dressing to taste.  The cole slaw is best to keep refrigerated and will last 2 to 3 days.

To your good health

It’s important to know that this pandemic pause on our lives will end and our journey will take an outward turn again. Until then, during this time of isolation and introspection, stay safe, keep your active mind occupied, your body well nourished, and feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss any particular hardships or health issues you may be having during this time. I am available for appointments, in person, by phone, or video call.