A whole chicken – free range.
An onion – large and roughly chopped
Garlic – 2 whole cloves
6 carrots – chopped
A whole celery – chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
Place in a huge pan (the bigger the better) with a couple of bayleaves and simmer until the meat falls of the bone and the potatoes have disintegrated.
Then remove all of the bones of the chicken, cut up any large pieces of meat, skim off the chicken fat, add peas and a little bit of pasta.
There is an extra ingredient…… lots and lots of love, infused into the cooking.
Mmmm….it is a tradition and I can feel, taste and smell it now and instantly I am comforted and nourished.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t unusual. I bet most families have a soup that conjures up the same thing.
I’ve made it today. I’ve need comfort and nourishment, not just for my body but for my Soul too. It’s winter, a time when I always want to retreat. When I want to hibernate and go within and allow new ideas to come to me.
The ideas are coming thick and fast, so fast that it is hard to keep up with them. Today I feel agitated within me, I woke up with the feeling, its a kind of edginess inside me, a breathlessness and a heightened vibration in my skin. It’s a sign for me that my adrenals are running too much. And when I think about it, I’ve been drinking coffee and eating chocolate and risotto and pasta. Things I reach for when I’m cold, when I can’t find my energy, when I’ve been neglecting my needs on a soul level and ignoring my body.
When I look into this feeling a little bit more, I’m cross. Cross with myself. Not something that feels good. I’m cross because I’ve been giving and giving. Cross because I’ve not explained my needs well, and cross because… well, just that… I’m cross and it builds on itself.
So today I’ve recognised whats going on… because I can’t ignore the feeling in my body anymore. I’ve cleared my diary, gone for a long wintery, wrapped up warm walk with my dogs, made soup, sat for an hour in silent, still meditation. No journey for me today… just a sense of stillness, of centering, of peace.
I feel much better, my energy has re-set. The chicken soup did its job and it was delicious.
