A Smiling Bull And Other Silver Lining Observations

Crisis fatigue. Yep. It’s a thing. Especially this year as we’re unilaterally being overwhelmed by consistent and unrelenting pressures brought on by pandemic fallout and civil unrest. And then there are the normal life stressors to add to the mix, varying widely in degree from household to household.  Our hearts are heavy and tired.

The Big Green Egg:                                   A Great Pandemic Escape!

It’s challenging for me to stay informed, empathetic and helpful to my family and community while––at the same time––remaining physically healthy and clear-headed. In this collective crisis, insisting upon “me time” may sound churlish, but I must take regular station breaks––alone and away from the noise.

Escaping into a book, writing my next chapter and cooking the next meal—my whisk pounding against stainless in time to Pandora–are my panacea.

Most certainly walks are essential. Yesterday I passed by a bull, a couple of deer and a scampering wild turkey, none of them caring a whit about our mess. And then, above the apple orchard, I looked at the wide Michigan sky and thought of some quotes from my dog-eared copy of Matthew Quick’s novel, The Silver Linings Playbook:

“It hurts to look at the clouds, but it also helps, like most things that cause pain.”

“Most people lose the ability to see silver linings even though they are always there above us almost every day.”

When the bull smiled for my camera, I laughed out loud. Are smiling bulls also a thing? Maybe. I’ve enjoyed Laughing Cow Cheese most of my life.  I continued giggling for the duration of my walk––I’ve never had the privilege of earning a smile from livestock (-:

At home, I zoomed in on the frame, looking at the picture more carefully. What I thought to be a smile was simply a trick of reflection on his snout. But who cares? It is all about perspective and fed my soul a heaping slice of pleasure–a Silver Lining Moment.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce–don’t knock it ’till you try it!!!

As far as cooking these days, I’ve been minimized masked trips to the grocery store, and have been quite creative using up products in my cupboard and freezer.

But with summer spreading wings, I’m looking forward to getting back to my Big Green Egg. After reflecting on the smiling bull, however, it seems wrong to be posting meat recipes right now (-:

Here are two meatless recipes that I pull out year after year, this year certainly being no exception: Grilled Caesar Salad and Grilled Seafood Paella.

♥♥♥

Be safe, friends, and enjoy your Silver Lining Moments.