Like many of you, the following monikers flock together in a description of my week: Hopeful, fearful, exhilarating, under-stimulated, connected, lonely, annoyed, content, overwhelmed, underwhelmed. A bundle of opposites, sometimes all in one minute.
But a lot of solidity and truth has weaseled its way in. At the end of this week, I feel like I’m holding a heavy basket of gifts from unexpected places. Among them:
Karen Russell’s reflection in the New Yorker, comparing our quick adaptation to a flock of starlings:
“Flatten the curve” caused a paradigm shift for me; it taught me, in three words, to stop thinking of myself as a potential victim of Covid-19 and to start thinking of myself as a vector for contagion. It alchemizes fear into action. The phrase is an injunction: it says, gently and urgently, that it is not too late for us to change the shape of this story…
A recent study described how [starlings] are able to “manage uncertainty in consensus”: “Flocks of starlings exhibit a remarkable ability to maintain cohesion as a group in highly uncertain environments and with limited, noisy information.”
My 17-year-old son, at this very moment, skillfully and cheerfully helping my 13 year-old daughter with her algebra.
Dan Siegal in this awesome webinar, reminding us that resilience is formed through repair and rupture. And reminding us to put one hand on our heart, one hand on our belly, and breathe ourselves back to presence.
A friend of mine saying on IG, “I don’t want tips, I don’t want ideas. I just want to be seen.” Doesn’t that capture it perfectly?! If this blog post qualifies as tips, exit now.
And finally, making muffins. Mixing up the same batch I’ve made countless times, this time on a WEEKDAY. I remember making these for one of Loretta’s toddler birthdays and putting cream cheese frosting on top. Those were blessed days. So are these, strangely. Lots of love to you.
Morning Glory (Carrot Cake) Muffins
Butter a muffin tin or fill with liners. In a big bowl, combine 2 c. flour (you can use GF or a combo of lots of things—all purpose, whole wheat), 1 1/4. c. sugar, 2 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 tsp. salt. Add 6 grated carrots plus 2-3 cups add-ins. Options include chopped pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins, flaked coconut, and grated or finely diced apples. Stir all things into the flour mixture. Whisk together 3 eggs, 1 c. vegetable oil, and 1 tsp vanilla in a small bowl. Add to carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them to the top. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 until springy to the touch. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then cool to warm before serving.