I've been low the last few weeks since finishing editing my book---not feeling bad, exactly, it's more that I feel OK, just very, very listless.
Some of this is the natural low ebb that follows the completion of a huge project, some is a deer-in-the-headlight response to the need to start job-hunting (ohgod), and some no doubt is a response to watching the president of my country act like an out-of-control toddler with a weapon.
My energy is starting to return on its own, but I could use a boost, so I am thinking of myself as a zoo animal that needs an enrichment program designed for it--by thinking of myself as if I were outside myself, I can better help myself.
One thing I'm doing is looking for little things I could do, as a tiny perk-up.
Trying something new, for instance:
today I bought a ripe papaya that was on sale ($1!) at Good Grocer, the non-profit, volunteer-enabled grocery store where I volunteer (I don't think I've mentioned that here yet).
They're so hefty and gorgegous, I'd been meaning to try one for months, and now finally I have:
I'd expected it to taste like a mango, but it's nowhere near as sweet --more like a vegetable--and its flavor is a little odd, like …a bland cheese?
Reminds me of the first time I ate cilantro: I'd thought its musky taste was unpleasant--now I love it. This fruit is huge--about four pounds--so I'll get a chance to get used to it on its own terms, not as what it's not.
Anyway, I found it interesting, and that's a sign of life.
Some of this is the natural low ebb that follows the completion of a huge project, some is a deer-in-the-headlight response to the need to start job-hunting (ohgod), and some no doubt is a response to watching the president of my country act like an out-of-control toddler with a weapon.
My energy is starting to return on its own, but I could use a boost, so I am thinking of myself as a zoo animal that needs an enrichment program designed for it--by thinking of myself as if I were outside myself, I can better help myself.
One thing I'm doing is looking for little things I could do, as a tiny perk-up.
Trying something new, for instance:
today I bought a ripe papaya that was on sale ($1!) at Good Grocer, the non-profit, volunteer-enabled grocery store where I volunteer (I don't think I've mentioned that here yet).
They're so hefty and gorgegous, I'd been meaning to try one for months, and now finally I have:
I'd expected it to taste like a mango, but it's nowhere near as sweet --more like a vegetable--and its flavor is a little odd, like …a bland cheese?
Reminds me of the first time I ate cilantro: I'd thought its musky taste was unpleasant--now I love it. This fruit is huge--about four pounds--so I'll get a chance to get used to it on its own terms, not as what it's not.
Anyway, I found it interesting, and that's a sign of life.
Certainty is overrated, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI like dried papaya very much, used to make a dried and fresh fruit salad with dried mango and papaya, dried pineapple chunks and fried ginger, all re-hydrated in fresh lime and unsweetened pineapple juices, to which I added whatever seasonal fresh fruits were on hand.
ReplyDeleteNever got used to fresh papaya, though. Perhaps if I had kept at it, I might have come to like it, too. After all, I didn't like bananas at first, either.
Volunteering is hard work. As one of only three employees at a non-profit organization, we wouldn't be nearly as successful if it weren't for our volunteers. Thank you, on behalf of non-profits everywhere, for the generosity of your time and commitment, for your service to others.
uh...the ginger wasn't fried, just dried.
ReplyDeleteSPARKER: Indeed. Uncertainty is uncomfortable sometimes, but if it's not too, too much, it's good exercise for the brain and soul.
ReplyDeleteCROW: Fried ginger... sounds... odd.
I looked up recipes for fresh papaya and found some like your fruit salad, but fresh--sounds great--lime, ginger, pineapple, yum!
Also found some savory dishes, curries with chicken or potatoes, for instance, that sounded good--and found out that papaya is full of good enzymes & vitamins.
Since I have so much of it, I will experiment.
P.S. And thanks for the thanks, Crow!
ReplyDeleteVolunteering is a win-win, and if it isn't, you can walk away.