As I celebrated my birthday last week, I started to feel a little old. Not just older but old. Because, unless I plan to live beyond the age of 92, I am now on the “downhill slide.” My friends, I have now lived at least 50% of my life. Thisis a concept I find hard to get my head around. I began to feel I’m spread a little too thin, watered down and maybe, just maybe, somewhat drab. Kind of like leftovers in the fridge. Not yet spoiled, but maybe not the most appetizing either. Hmmmm…. I know what you’re thinking. Buck up! You are way too young to feel this way. I know you’re right. I needed a Woman Wellness Weekend. It came just in time. You and I both know the best thing to do with old leftovers— make soup.
Last Friday night I headed to the Audubon Center in Sandstone to meet my sistercousin, my auntie from Vegas, and my mom for a three-day “pull me out of my day-old funk” weekend.
It started with a good healthy dinner followed by a speaker who led us through Love the
Skin You’re In.
It was all about finding the best in ourselves. That added a little meat to the broth. The next day in Guided
Imagery Through Music,
I drew a beautiful mandala of birds and a flower. (A mandala is a circular drawing that is very meditative). Thisreally added some soothing spices to my soup.
ThenI made a nature scrapbook out of recycled paper bags. Talk about fun. My aunt kept thinking she lacked creativity so she would try to get me to decorate her pages for her but then she would tell me her ideas were better than mine. (She actually has a good eye but she lacks glue stick abilities.)
Then we made facials with chocolate, coffee grounds and cream. Okay, I know it sounds gross, and I have the pictures to prove it, but my skin has never been so smooth. These classes must have represented the freshest veggies available to add flavor to my soup.
By Saturday night I was really starting to feel like a new person. After the presentation on Acupuncture
we gathered for singing around the fireplace. I know you’re expecting old campfire songs like Kumbaya
but we sang songs of joy and empowerment. For example I
Will Survive
and Proud Mary.
One woman, who shared her age as 71, was up and dancing around like Tina Turner. It was lots of smiles and fun. (Did I mention s’mores and red wine?…I highly recommend this combination.)
The weekend ended with a hot stone massage, a birthday gift from my sweet mother, a full 30 minutes of sheer bliss. This had to be the dumplings and carrots (my favorite ingredients, by the way). I am now fully recovered, as soup. It’s a good feeling. I now like to think of myself as a warm, nurturing bowl of soup ready to feed my family and friends. Most of all I learned that I have to remember to feed myself so I can feed others.
P.S. Of course there is always a secret ingredient to any good homemade soup. In my case it is hard belly laughter. I didn’t find this special ingredient until last Thursday night at the Fred Eaglesmith concert in South Haven. His music, stories and jokes were just what the doctor ordered. I wiped the tears of laughter from my eyes several times.
Good soup is one of the prime
ingredients of good living. For
soup can do more to lift the spirits
and stimulate the appetite than
any other one dish.
Louis P. De Gouy,
TheSoup Book (1949)
Tastes Like Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on an alpaca farm in South Haven, MN with her husband,
Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents,
Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious
helpings of home-style recipes.
Leave a Reply