Wednesday Wish (98); Nourish

photo by emkingg via flickr

She is dressed in a suit and ready to leave for work, her head already spinning with all the emails waiting for her, all the phone calls to be had, all the attitudes in the hallway waiting to accost her. She breathes in through her nose and out through her mouth, slowly, like the book explained. But it doesn’t seem to help. Nothing seems to help. The whole work thing just feels wrong. But she has to do it. She just has to.

She grabs her keys and slings her purse over her shoulder, when suddenly, she is hit. With a memory. A scent. It’s her mama’s pumpkin bread. Every Fall, when the weather began to cool—cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger, wafting up like a trance, summoning everyone to the kitchen. She closes her eyes, imaging herself back there, in her mama’s kitchen, the scents her own again, as if she never left.

And a single tear lines her perfectly make-up’d face.

She takes a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. But this time it works. She exhales something. Things become … clear. She picks up her phone and dials, tells them she won’t be in today. She hangs up her purse and keys, takes of her shoes and puts on her apron. She is going back. Back to a time when she felt happy, back to a time when her senses were alive, back to a time when something inside her knew what nourished her soul.

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The call to nourish is always there. And louder for those of us who ignore its call. Louder, but less likely to be heard. You see it in the eyes of the ignorers. They cover their longings with a thin veil, dulling the sparkles, muting the colors. You notice it in the way they walk. Stiff. Unsafe. Unheard. On the deepest levels. And those who do listen, who do remember to honor nourish’s call? Their body’s flow, sing, echo peace. Their eyes draw you in, their spirits soften rough edges. For they not only honor the need to nourish, they reflect that need to those who have forgotten, to those who so desperately need to remember.

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My Wish this week is that you remember, remember to nourish. To nourish your body, your spirit, your soul. There will always be reasons not to, you know the dance. You can always deceive yourself into thinking there is something else that is still more important. But you can also admit to yourself that just like everything else in nature—thriving requires nourishment.

So how? How does one begin when the guidance is no longer heard? Tune in to your senses. Stare until something draws you in and gives you smile. Eat what feels good. Play the sounds that help you soar. Read the books that give you sparkle, that make your insides twitch, even a teeny-tiny bit. Spend time with others who know how to nourish, with others who dare to be vulnerable, with others who know the importance of honoring Self. Walk barefoot, let your skin feel new textures and softness and smooth. Cradle a stone, hold it until it warms in your hand. Go out in the rain just to enjoy the swooshing of the puddles as the cars drive through them. And when all else fails … bake mama’s pumpkin bread.

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Mama Brynne’s Pumpkin Bread

1 can (or roasted equivalent) of pumpkin puree

4 eggs

5 ½ T. melted butter

2/3 cup milk (I use rice milk)
3 cups sugar (I use coconut sugar)

3 ½ cups flour (I use King Arthur, gluten free)

2 t. baking soda

1 ½ t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground nutmeg

½ t. ground cloves

¼ t. ground ginger

*Optional: crumbled, toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

Mix pumpkin puree, eggs, butter, milk and sugar until well blended. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into prepared pans.

*Optional: sprinkle uncooked loaves with crumbled, toasted walnuts

Bake for approx. 45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.