The Eye of July in Winter

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today’s a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”
-Bill Keane

It is a weird experience for me to be writing about July and the summer as I am actually sitting and looking outside my front picture window of my house out at the snow billowing around my yard. Presently, we are in the middle of a snow storm, I am gazing out at the wind and snow, watching walkers all bundled up, and writing about the hazy, lazy summer.

I am writing about the eye of July in March. My work is about being present in ourselves, in our lives, in our bodies, in our souls. It is about being present in relationships, and present to all around us. And I am writing about summer. How many of us do things like this; write about things happening at a later time, think about the future while we are living presently, live in the past while the present is happening in front of us, and so on?

The trick for me is to be able to project myself into the summer while I am also with myself in the present moment. I write ahead because I am a planner, I have an idea of what I want to bring to others, and a method I follow so that I don’t get overwhelmed when I have a ton of things going on. Another example of this is cooking ahead before a large dinner party. I am thinking and planning for the party ahead of time. I cook some dishes early so that I am not overly inundated on the day of the party. I know that if I do too much on that day, I get
exhausted and don’t enjoy myself. I think we all do things like
this in our own ways. In doing so we are present to our souls and our needs as we plan ahead so that we can continue to be present. It is a misconception that time is linear. The past, present and future are all linked and interdependent. Yet, it is important to take a step by step approach so that we can move towards our goals. Take cooking for example. Cooking involves a step by step process creating an alchemy of elements that produces a delicious end result...hopefully. 

 We get stuck when we make a mistake and keep thinking about that mistake, which then keeps us from moving forward towards our meal. Being present then involves having a plan of some sort, having some perspective on our selves and our goals. It creates distance and closeness where we need it, integrating all the parts to a vibrant whole. Growing through the process as we learn, having healthy boundaries, and seeing the truth weaving throughout our movements, our thoughts and our inner knowing.

 So we know what we want to create and we plan it. We gather all our information and what we need to create our masterpiece. We tune into our needs as we do this so that we aren’t interrupted at important places. We see the dishes we are creating forming right in front of us, and we look at the truth of what we are creating and why. We integrate all the elements, and voila!! The truth is we are constantly moving from the past into the present and creating a future...unless we get stuck along the way. The step by step process involves being present. I am visualizing my flowers in my flower garden, what I need to do to get my garden ready, the long day into night as I sit outside on my front porch, and I write about summer as I also look out my window over my front porch, watching the snow flail about and the wind strike my wind chimes creating a symphony of wind sounds. I am in the eye of July.
Healthy Recipes:

So let’s create a masterpiece of a recipe that is healthy,
planned well, and keeping our goals and desires in mind. Let’s be in the eye of the plan.


Let’s start with a healthy, hearty, tasty pasta entrée:
  • Soba noodles to boil
  • Sauté 4 garlic heads and chop up fine
  • Carefully dice and chop one half an onion and add to the
    sauté.
  • Sauté with olive oil or coconut oil; 2 tbsp
  • Peel 4 tomatoes and dice finely and add to the pan.
  • Chop green and black olives; a good handful and add to the
    sauté at the end
  • Chop and grate a carrot and add to the sauté
  • Add one quarter cup vegetable broth
  • Add pepper, salt, a pinch of oregano, a good bunch of
    chopped basil and sauté all together for about 5 minutes and
    then let it all simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Boil the pasta noodles for 5 minutes, I like them al dente
  • Add it all together at the last minute.
  • If you like, add fresh parmesan cheese and serve!!!
    For a summer recipe, add fresh zucchini to the mix, and use only 2 tomatoes, add a bit extra drizzle of oil, and serve cold!
    Let me know how you like it and if you feel the need to change or add anything, please do. 

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