Mercury in Retro Friendship
To know one good person is a gift, but to know a handful of individuals that have similar values to yours, is like winning the lottery. I love when friends visit. Catching up is mostly finishing where you left off. Each person retraces their steps back to that last moment of seeing each other. You tailor your jokes to suit your company. Theres no better feeling if you ask me. When you say your “goodbyes” to a friend you truly love you depart feeling uplifted, like anything is possible.
What I feel about friendship might not be something many people want to hear, but I have to say it for myself. Friendship is about letting go. I can love someone so much that I can love them even if they’re not in my life, or apart of it. What I know to be true about letting go is the admittance that you will hurt, you will disappoint, you will cause pain. What I know to be true as well is that you can love deeply, thoughtfully, and honestly, and you have to let that go too. I have come to understand what matters is connection and respect.
Of course I hope that my friends and I will be saying goodbye to each other as we depart our world. Honestly, we’re lucky if we get that. I have been feeling alive lately. I would even say that I’m vibrating. Not because the weather has been exceptional and I have friends in town visiting. My newer friends have made me feel connected to a bigger world around me. Everyone collectively has been experiencing their own “renaissance.” It kind of reminds me of when I took mushrooms last summer in the Catskills. I could just cry in awe at the beauty of humanity.
Slouching towards fulfillment
I haven’t formally announced it yet, but I’ll do it now. I have been volunteering at the Brooklyn Autism Center. Two days a week I teach cooking classes to a handful of students. This was my second week and I have already noticed so much in my own development as a teacher.
I wanted to find some work that would be an equivalent to giving back. I don’t love giving money to charities or sprinkling excess earnings to any cause. What I believe in is the generosity of time. So, I reached out to The Brooklyn Autism Center and they graciously replied back that what I was offering was something they’ve been wanting to do. We had a couple of meetings and discovered our values are aligned.
I feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the opportunity. This next phase of my life feels like I’m progressing towards creative liberation. I’m going to leave you with a recipe that we worked on this week with the students. We made so much granola that they got to take it home and share it with their families; hopefully instilling them with the abundance of generosity.
Parfait Granola (perfect Granola)
This granola is delicately buttery while not being too sweet. The tablespoon of salt is, in my opinion, necessary. When granola is seasoned well, it’s electrifying. I called this recipe “Parfait Granola,” because if I was French, I would consider this perfect.
Makes four portions.
Ingredients:
170 g rolled oats
60 g unsweetened coconut flakes
40 g untoasted sesame seeds
60 g slivered almonds
1 tbsp kosher salt (diamond crystal)
113 g (1 stick) unsalted butter
100 ml maple syrup
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, sesame, almonds, and salt. Stir to combine.
In a small sauce pot, combine butter and maple syrup and place on the stove on medium low heat. When all the butter has visibly melted, remove from the stove.
Add butter and syrup over the oat mixture, stirring to combine ensuring the mixture is coated.
Spread mixture evenly over the pre lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Check for browning, the color should be lightly tan. Turn the oven down to 250ºF. Place granola back into the oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. The color should deepen and look evenly browned, remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before touching. The granola should be crisp and break up in chunks.
Crumble the granola into the size you like best.