5.18.2015

This Too Shall Pass


Yesterday morning I took my first Sunday yoga class. I usually chill on a Sunday. Matthew and I go for a stroll in the late afternoon but I would consider this quality time together versus actual exercise. We have a lovely park not too far from us and there is usually a pick up soccer game. It lends a nice neighborhood feel. This 10.45 am session marked day number 14. It is almost mind boggling that I am nearing the halfway point. I have decided that I do not want to stop. I buy an unlimited pass so no reason to. I am beach bound this week followed by NYC the next and am feverishly researching places to practice. The assortment is quite mind boggling. For the most part, I am an intense and passionate person. I speak loudly,   talk quickly, laugh endlessly and sometimes have an irritating habit of interrupting when I get excited. With two weeks of straight yoga under my belt, Matthew says I am much cooler, calmer and collected Elizabeth. It takes discipline working out daily. My hats off to those who manage so. How I used to run every morning before work in my early 30s is beyond me. Oh wait now I remember why I was so disciplined: I was single. 

Sure there are days when I would rather twiddle my thumbs, comb my hair, even floss my teeth than go to class. But I go. I pull my gear on, suck in my stomach, grab water from the fridge, fold and pack my yoga towel and get in the car. They always say dressing and going is more than half the battle. For me, this 30 (plus) day challenge is a real sense of accomplishment. I am usually the bull in the china shop in fitness classes. I did a brilliant barre class for six months prior to my sister's wedding. I loved the instructors and the workout. My elegance however was not apparent. I was the one whose ball was always bouncing across the room during standing exercises. My band would be the one to loudly snap. Embarrassing. In short, this yoga quest has taken some grit. There are still a myriad of poses I cannot tackle. However, many that were once upon a time foreign if not impossible to me are slowly becoming manageable. I have a ways to go yet but where I am is a solid start and we will take it.

Yesterday I woke up at 7.50. Just five minutes after the first class I had planned to attend started. To pass time, I spent my morning tackling items around the house, reheating my coffee and the likes. I watched the clock with anticipation. This exercise is about as futile as wishing for nail polish to dry. Goodness knows the 35 year old bones needed yesterday's class. I attended the golf tournament Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday I went with a business contact turned friend. Thursday late afternoon Matthew and I attended together. It was wonderful. Friday, we met with friends and made a day of it. Friday was my favorite as we ran into every one and their brother including a very old family friend of mine, who I have not seen in around two years. I was knackered come Friday evening. There was talk of going Saturday but I had to politely decline. Then Rory broke the record so we should have gone. Anyway. Daily yoga and walking the course aside, my days were marked by cold cans of Stella Artois (my preference, Sauvignon Blanc, was not available), a daily bag of Cape Cod potato chips and whatever food was available for consumption. This means junk.

Our Sunday morning instructor was a vibrant woman who said that yoga is not about achieving the poses or what one can do on their mat but rather the journey.  She was referencing a particularly challenging position whereby many of us (I was in the lead) were holding our breaths and muttering obscenities silently. My shoulders and top left thigh were on fire. She spoke of her grandmother who always said "this too shall pass". No matter how dire or mild the situation, this was her observation. The instructor said it was challenging to absorb her wise words at 6 or even 26 years of age but now she understands. It makes sense. My mother likes to remind us of the same. Don't sweat the small stuff and this too shall pass.  So as we were in our positions, sweating and shaking, she began slowly counting from five to one. Use your breath, she told the room. In this moment, we were quite simply reminded that this too shall indeed pass.

As the world's best golfers were making their final rounds on the course yesterday, the weather could not have been better. It was jolly hot during the day but the early evening was glorious. We ate on our back deck whilst enjoying the sounds of spring around us. I love this time of year because the preparation of meals is quite simple compared to the more effortful labors of love during winter. Matthew takes ownership of grilling meat alongside a vegetable or two and I pull together a big salad. I like to incorporate the kitchen sink. I serve this with one of my homemade dressings, which I will write more about tomorrow. When serving meat, I like to pair it with a chimichurri or homemade salsa. The below tangos marvelously with chicken, shrimp, fish and steak. Pork carnitas? Yes. Tacos? Absolutely. We like to eat it the morning after with our eggs and sriracha. Matthew finds it satisfying with kimchi. It is also unbelievable served with chips. The spicy sweetness paired with the savory salt from the chips is sublime. We are headed to Pawley's Island for Memorial Day weekend and I will be making a variation of this to serve during our cocktail hour. Hoping your homes have too caught the spring fever bug.

Apricot Salsa

Ingredients

2 apricots - pip removed and chopped
1 can chick peas - drained
Juice of half a large lemon
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 jalapeño - chopped (leave the seeds in for a bit of heat)
1/2 red onion - chopped
1 cup cilantro - chopped
Kosher salt

Preparation

1. In a Cuisinart or food processor, finely dice your jalapeño, red onion and cilantro. Add to a large bowl.

2. To this same bowl, add your apricots, chick peas, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, cumin,  cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Give the mixture a generous stir until uniform throughout. Season to taste (meaning add more salt if you so desire). 

3. Let this sit in the fridge for at least two hours before enjoying. You can serve cold or room temperature. Please note that this salsa is out-of-this-world when served the day after.








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