My meal with Stephen and Kelly the other night was so yummy that I couldn’t resist making something very similar tonight.
After playing with Raleigh for a while,
I got started on dinner…
I made a big salad with arugula, scallions, and sliced mango and served it with some grilled scallops (Just salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh lime squeezed on after grilling).
So good and so simple. I have been craving light and simple meals like this now that Summer is here and this was perfect.
Oh, and here is the recipe for the Raw Walnut Date Torte from the other day. A bunch of you guys asked for it so here is the link we got it from. Enjoy!
Off the Mat: A Word on Confidence
My practice has had a recurring theme this week. Each time I have taken time to practice this week, I’m confronted with all of these…things. I feel like I’m at a point where I’m ready to stand on my own two feet, but don’t quite feel like I have the tools to do so. Am I confident enough? Am I ready? And the biggest one of all…who the heck am I?
Some days I feel like I could conquer the world. Ready for anything. Standing on my own two feet with confidence feeling like I’m headed in the right direction. Other times I wonder who the hells feet are those….and why aren’t they taking me where I want to go. Why am I standing right here, and not over there.
Today I got to thinking about why I sometimes question myself, why I doubt my ability to do something. I often get a case of the “If only’s.” If only I could do this, or that…then it would be perfect. After that thought arose today, I thought back to being on my mat earlier this morning. Today in class we did a really challenging balance sequence. Like, really hard. Standing on one leg for what felt like an eternity.
I’ve done this sequence many times before and have often lost my balance and come out of the poses, never feeling shame or disappointment, just watching what’s going on and learning. I am able to observe myself on my mat, my safe space, realizing that I might not be ready to stay in that pose the whole time, and that’s okay because I’m working towards it. This isn’t a character flaw, it’s just what it is. But every time I fall, I hop back in the pose stronger, with a new tool or idea to help myself stay in.
This is just another instance where yoga has taught me a lesson. It’s okay to fall and lose your balance. Sometimes we have to step back to see the bigger picture, to collect the tools we need to stand on our own two feet with confidence and grace. And that’s a-okay.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I love scallops!
Your dog looks like my old (and favorite dog)! Mine was a standard poodle– is that what Raleigh is?
Juli,
She is a lab/poodle mix.
I, too, fall victim to the “if onlys” from time to time. And then I remember all the gifts I have in my life and how miserable my life would be “if only” I were without them.
Ohhh my gosh – are you kidding me with those scallops?! Ahhhh-mazing!! I would have to pay like $50/lb for fresh scallops here – you lucky duck!
Your dog is so cute! She reminds me of the one that ‘pops’ out of the white throw rug in that commercial. I hope you know which one I mean or I will sound like a moron!
This was an excellent post
scallops are that one food that I really want to like, but just can’t :( yours look delicious!
Those pictures of you dog are so adorable! You ever wonder what those eyes are saying?
Also, thanks for sharing your feelings and being so open. There are so many of us that go through life never realizing who we really are and when the mirror finally gives a reflections we become so frightened. It can be so much easier to pretend we are something that we aren’t as then we wouldn’t have to attend to the real feelings of ourselves…and yet, it can be so freeing to be “just you”.
You are an inspiration…”what if you weren’t”…it wouldn’t be the same without you….so thank you for sharing you inner thoughts…I love that you “ARE” :yinyang:
awesome dinner and great OTM post. Somedays, it’s so easy to pick myself up again after falling over and somedays, it just seems impossible and like I have no clue what I’m doing. It’s nice to know other people do the same thing and that it’s just life -
Very nice thouughts on yoga! One of my first teachers said, “Yoga is not competitive,” and that is one reason why I love it. It’s ok to just be who you are there!
Raleigh is so darn cute! And that salad looks so yummy… I love the added mango!
What a great Off the Mat Courtney. It’s so important for us to realize that we are only human and to trust our bodies. We may make mistakes and fall, but it is just as important to learn from those mistakes to learn from those mistakes, gain confidence, and better understand our own selves. There is no shame in falling as long as you get back up and try again!
Two completely random comments, but my heart just about skipped a beat when I saw those scallops. Holy deliciousness. I haven’t had them in forever (on a bit of a budget) and they looked freaking awesome.
Second, your OTM hit home for me because I do the “If only…” quite a bit myself. Most recently it was starting my own blog “if only I knew what I was doing and it could look as good as (The Hungry Yogini, Hungry Hungry Hippie, etc.) and “if only I had something as interesting to add as XXX” I finally just decided that I have to start somewhere, I can learn from my mistakes and I don’t have to compare it to anyone else–things will evolve organically!
Wow, your words really hit a chord with me. There’s always that perfectionist in me that’s trying to say that one little “fall” ruins it all. So not true. But I do think it takes a really strong person to stand back up and try again – bravo to you and I. :)
I love the dog!
And that salad looks wonderful.
I love reading your OTMs. It draws much parallelism to my own struggle of self confidence. This post of yours is another reminder to me that it is okay to lose balance and fall…that all I need to do is begin again, begin with more strength and determination.
Thank you,
Thien An from delightinmoderation.blogspot.com
Lovely post. I connected with your words as if they were myown. Thank you for reminding me that I am not alone in my pursuit of knowing, accepting, and blissfully loving myself.
Without awareness, there would be no change. I love thoses little lightbulb moment of clarity. Thankx for sharing yours.
Namaste