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Food for Thought Friday: what is MOST essential to you?
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Hello friend,
How are you doing?! Just in case no one has checked in lately, I wanted to ask. Seriously though, how are you?!
It is now August - WHAT?! I can hardly believe it; in some ways it feels like we never finished March. It also seems like a million years ago that I wrote a “let’s stay positive! make lemonade from this!” email at the beginning of shelter-in-place.
Optimism usually comes easily to me and yet… my conclusion after almost 5 months of quarantining alone is: this pandemic is some SERIOUS shit.
Not to mention all the systemic and economic hardships, we humans are social creatures and we are not meant to live in this isolated state. I was reminded of this when I recently binge-watched all 7 seasons of Orange is the New Black. (If you haven’t heard of it - it’s a Netflix hit about a women’s prison. Highly recommend!) Turns out the punishment for misbehaving when someone is ALREADY in prison is being sent to solitary confinement, where the inmate essentially lives alone in a box. In the show, when inmates come out of there, they are visibly worse for the wear - downtrodden, off-kilter, shook. I mean - obviously we have it way better than in prison, but - isolation is no joke!
Last Monday I was trying to work on my cooking course for October and my body protested like: “PLEASE. STOP. TRYING. TO. WORK! WE ARE DONE WITH THIS.” I hadn't actually taken more than a day off since... all year (!)... so I decided to listen and immediately started an impromptu staycation… which felt so good that I extended it through this week too :).
In this down time I have been mulling over a “life recalibration” of sorts. Over the last month or so, the full reality has set in that we are going to be in this pandemic crap state for a WHILE.
Contrary to the first few months, when I was passing the time and waiting to see how this was gonna go, I've now decided it's time to fully accept this new way of life, and re-think things from a creative, proactive perspective.
This week I have been asking myself an important question… who do I want to be when this is over? In 10 years when I look back on this time… what will I say I learned from it? What do I want to say I did during it?
Surely I will be a different person on the other side, and I personally hope to be a better one. Which isn't just going to happen automatically. I want to make sure it happens.
Another question I’ve been enjoying contemplating lately is… what can I do during this time that I *would not* be likely to do in normal times?! Whatever THOSE things are, they feel particularly motivating to me right now.
I know that for me… even though I normally consider myself highly motivated… motivation is lacking currently. Normal things take more willpower than usual. Even though I KNOW I will feel better after a run or walk around the neighborhood, I am acutely aware that it takes more effort to get out there these days.
So - if even my normal habits (while still generally in place) take a bit more effort... anything that was not a solidified healthy habit pre-pandemic is... out the window. Admittedly, some new coping habits have easily taken hold... some good - like more ukelele practice, some just ok - like my recent 100+ hours of TV in a month 😬.
I feel very grateful that I already had many healthy habits built-in before this began. And even though they require slightly more motivation now - they are serving me especially well during pandemic times.
The biggest example is cooking and eating healthfully. Even though my cooking energy has waned in the last few months, once I get myself into the kitchen, my habits take over and deliver on healthy, delicious meals. I am doing the bare minimum, but I still enjoy making them, and the healthy food provides a foundation for feeling good, even when I feel noticeably not-as-awesome as normal.
I’ve been sharing lots of cooking ideas and recipes lately, so this week I invite you to contemplate with me…
Who do YOU want to be when this is over?
In 10 years when you look back on this time… what will you say you learned from it?
What do you want to say you did during it?
What can you do during this time that you *would not* be likely to do in normal times?!
I honestly think that upping your cooking game - if that's important to you - can be a GREAT answer to these questions. So - if “eating more (delicious-tasting) veggies,” “learning to cook easier meals,” “enjoying cooking more” or “learning how to cook delicious, healthy food FAST” sound like ideal outcomes to you… keep your eyes peeled because I’m getting PUMPED UP to make my fall cooking course the most essential, streamlined, impactful, easiest-and-most-useful cooking content yet!!
One of the best testimonials I've ever received was this, "It is unreal. Unreal because it’s stupid simple and easy yet so delicious. The easiness to tastiness ratio is off the charts. How is it that I've taken an entire semester of cooking and not learned something like this?" (This was about one of my go-to essential recipes: green sauce, which, if you haven't made it - get on that!!)
An "easiness to tastiness ratio that's OFF THE CHARTS" - those are the kind of results I'm going for with this next course... excited to have you potentially join me - and at the very least, enjoy all the free content I'll be sharing leading up to it.
That's all for now - I'm back to my staycation. Sending you all the virtual hugs and reflection vibes 😊 .
Love,
Jess
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PS. If you're really into contemplating these questions, here are two sources of inspiration:
- This podcast episode - Tim Ferriss interviewing Greg McKeown (author of the awesome book Essentialism) - is seriously AMAZING and I re-listen to it multiple times per year, whenever I need to get back to what's most important.
- Priya Parker's podcast - Together Apart - about gatherings began during the pandemic and has challenged me to think about things we would ONLY do in a pandemic (for example - zoom parties that include a "hot tub room" in which everyone is taking a bath in their own house but "together" on zoom 🤣 ). Highly recommend, especially if you are trying to reimagine events!
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Like FREE STUFF?! Download my Craveable Salad Guide to print out and hang on your fridge for inspiration!
If you like this email, I would LOVE IT if you forward along to your favorite food-loving friends, or better yet, forward and then cook something together! Wannabe subscribers can sign up here. Thanks for reading!
In case you missed out, here are a few past issues to check out:
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Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from "chore" to "whippin it up!" through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers.
I currently work + live on land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Ohlone when they reopen someday! Check out this article about them.
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