Stop and smell the pumpkin pie

Seriously. Who decided that we should start celebrating Christmas in November….or October?! This week we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving, which, in full disclosure, is my favorite holiday of the year. An entire holiday dedicated to food, and beautifully set tables, and giving thanks…what could be better than that?! And yet everywhere I looked this weekend I was confronted not with turkeys and cornucopias and Pilgrims, but rather with twinkling lights and evergreen wreaths and flyers advertising “40% off.” Really?

This jumping-the-gun phenomenon is a symptom of our cultural predisposition to rush through life looking ahead rather than savoring each and every moment. We plan for what we’ll do when we get the promotion, or lose the weight, or finish the class. We wait until the weather improves or the construction is finished or the kids grow up. And all the while, magical moments are regularly occurring and we’re too busy to notice. It’s hard to be in the moment when you’re focused on racing to that spot just up ahead.

This Thanksgiving, give yourself a gift. Choose to be in the moment. Gather around a table with the people you hold most dear. Break bread. Give thanks. Reminisce.

And when you’ve cleared the last of the Thanksgiving dishes and put the children to bed, you can turn your attention to the next holiday with renewed energy and wild abandon.

My admonition to relish each moment applies to December as well. This year, will you remember that it’s not all about one BIG EVENT, instead recognizing that some of your best memories will come from the days and weeks leading up to your family’s gift-opening extravaganza? Baking cookies with Grandma. Wrapping gifts. Unpacking decorations. Lighting the fireplace and making hot cocoa with marshmallows. Opening cards from distant friends. The Nutcracker. The Grinch. The first snowflake.

Each little moment holds its own magic. Drink it in.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Next up in our Thanksgiving series….roasted brussels sprouts! “What?” you ask…”aren’t those the little green cabbage-shaped balls I used to hide under the table when I was a kid? You want me to put them on the table during the best meal of the YEAR?” Well, yes. Yes I do.

Brussels sprouts are packed with nutrients; just six of them contain 90 percent of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin C for an adult (and you thought you had to drink orange juice for that!). You know me, though, and healthfulness is not reason enough to get these onto your plate. They have to be delicious, too…and these are. Roasting them as I suggest here changes their texture, and the outer leaves that fall off become crispy as they cook in the olive oil on the baking sheet. Add plenty of salt and pepper and give these little gems a second chance.

For a pretty addition, try adding some halved baby carrots in with the sprouts. They cook in about the same time and look beautiful in a dish.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and discard any yellow outer leaves. Cut in half lengthwise. (This can be done in advance.)

3. Place Brussels sprouts in a medium bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Dump onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, shaking pan occasionally,  for 30-40 minutes, until outsides are crispy golden brown and the inside is tender.

5. If desired, sprinkle with additional kosher salt and pepper . (You can even drizzle a little white wine vinegar and honey over them!)

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Finding Oxygen on the High Road

It’s never fun to have your feelings hurt. When someone gets under your skin, whether intentionally or quite by accident, it’s uncomfortable. Our human instinct is to protect ourselves and our emotions. For some of us, that means we want to fight back and for others it means we want to whimper in the corner as we lick our wounds. Neither really works.

There’s only one proven path to maintaining a healthy sense of self in the face of an affront, and that, my friends, is to take the high road. Our goal should be resilience. We need to maintain our sense of self in the face of those who try to break us down.

The only problem is that there’s very little oxygen on the high road.

The air up there is rarified. It’s hard to breathe so we expend a lot of energy trying to stay the course. Faced with this energy depletion, we turn to our vices – we overeat, we shop, we drink, and we rant our way right back down into the muck.

But there are ways to find oxygen for your journey so you can stay on the high road. It’s especially important to remember these ideas as we head into the holidays when we’re prone to having our buttons pushed by well meaning relatives and stressed out sales clerks. Try one or two and see if they help you stay the course.

1) Get your “om” on  – I can’t say enough good things about the benefits of yoga. If you haven’t tried it, get yourself to a class or find a video and get on the bandwagon. You’ll breathe and sweat your way to bliss and you’ll leave filled with love for everyone you meet. Trust me.

2) Read – find something that inspires you and read it every day – it can be a magazine, a favorite blog, or the Bible – just make sure that it’s the kind of thing that leaves you with pleasant thoughts to reflect upon when the going gets tough.

3) Pull your friends close – Figure out who lifts you up every time you hear their voice and keep them close. This could be your running buddy, your sister, your long distance childhood friend, or your dog. Just make sure you’re getting lots of love from them to offset any bad energy being thrown your way.

4) Shift the energy – the next time someone does something to offend or upset you, rather than paying it forward, do something fabulous for someone instead. If you’re feeling really generous, you can even do it for the offender! Simply shifting your focus to acts of kindness will take your mind off any slights you’ve experienced. Remember Scrooge’s transformation??

5) Write it out – Journaling can help you vent on paper. Writing down what you’re feeling can help you process the emotion privately and then let it go. (Note: It’s probably best not to vent via FB or Twitter – that’s not exactly the high road!)

We’re entering the most wonderful time of the year – please don’t let a few tough cookies steal your joy. Take the high road, and remember to breathe…

 

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