how many fingers?

Yesterday, I went for a long walk in the amazing spring weather Kingston was enjoying. It was not a fancy walk to an exotic location. Rather a simple walk a number of times around a dirt track near where I live. That was just fine: to walk along at a leisurely pace and reflect and enjoy the sun and take in the scenes around me. These were scenes that included many people out walking their dogs--or visiting with each other while their dogs played and tumbled about. A young girl, age four fingers and two thumbs, slowly approached walking with her beautiful, tan-coloured dog. Unfortunately, I forget the dog's name although I was introduced. (I'll use a substitute name here.) I smiled in her direction. She asked, "Would you like to pet my dog, Natasha?". I was honoured of course. The dog, as it turned out, was eight fingers, two thumbs, and two more fingers old--and appeared very gentle, wise, and serene.

On my second attempt...

This is the second whole chicken I have cooked in my life. The first, I cooked about a year ago. It turned out in such a way that it left lots of room for improvement. Today's, however, turned out great. I suspect I would have made my great-grandmother proud--although she might have wondered what took me so long.

Roasting this bird brought me a lot of satisfaction and I wondered why. I enjoy cooking, so that may be what it was about. But I suspect there are at least two other factors: one, I got to experience the thrill of doing something new(er) and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishment and having moved significantly along a learning curve; and two, it was an accomplishment or "contribution" that was concrete, unlike a significant percentage of the work I do as a psychotherpaist working with others: this is work that is satisfying and wonderful for me but it can also seem somewhat elusive or intangible at times, difficult to "see" (or show) the work I have done. I do see it but it's not the kind of work where I can say, "see that gorgeous painting or that product or that sidewalk? I did that." And, by the way, that's okay, and I also have many lovely stories, concrete in their own right. At the end of the day, it's nice for me to be able to experience both: to operate in the realms of the tangibles, like the roast chicken, the workshops I develop (then teach), the garden and in the realm of the intangibles, the things you cannot pick up with your hands but you can know just the same in your heart.

Coming back to the bird, with thanks to people who provided resources on the internet for others to benefit from:

• the recipe I used for roasting the chicken can be found by clicking here for "Bacon Roasted Chicken" at allrecipes.com (I read some others' comments on the site and modified the recipe a little bit)
  
• a brief lesson in carving a chicken--something I was also needing--can be found in this video, the first one I came across, which made it look easy enough (and it was).
  

And also with thanks to my mom--who gave me the bird to roast--picking it up on a buy one, get one free special. She was a guest for the meal of my first bird--the one that didn't turn out so well, and she and those present ate it graciously and helped supportively. I suppose, giving me another bird to try could be a way of saying "you need more practice" but really, I think it was more a way of saying, "here is some food as a gift," "I got a great deal," and also "I believe in you."

Inspired? Try roasting your own chicken--or, if you are a pro at chickens (or have no desire to cook or eat such a thing), try out something you haven't done before--just for the thrill of it... I'll invite you to consider also how you might in the coming week offer to someone else a gift of nourishment, kindness, or the gift of conveying, "I believe in you". Then, to do this in some concrete way, however large or small.

I am celebrating much today, including the sun that is shining gloriously and unexpected, the spring bulbs that are bursting green sprouts through the soil, friends, kindness, baby steps, and growth...

Best wishes to you.

Tracy

last day of winter

I heard on the radio this morning that today is the last day of winter. What will you do today to celebrate (or to mark the occasion)?