The Sun and The Wind:

I was reminded on my hike this morning of a story I heard many years ago.  It's about the sun and the wind.

There was a man walking along one day and he was wearing a heavy overcoat.  The wind observed this and decided to challenge the sun to a contest to see who could get the man to take off his overcoat first.  Of course the wind thought it was a no brainer - he's so strong and forceful, he can definitely win this challenge.  The wind wanted to go first, so he blew and he blew with all his might.  The harder the wind blew, the more the man held onto his coat and after much effort, the wind was finally defeated.  

The sun's turn came and all it did was be in it's own radiance and shine.  After a few minutes, the man started getting warmer and warmer and before too long he took his coat off.

This story came to mind as I was engaging in inner dialogue with myself - we all have that sun and wind within us and there are times when one or the other predominates.  All of the colors and energies we experience are part of the great dance of life, when we can embrace and flow with them, but there are moments when I know that all I really need to do is be in the light and radiance of who I am, and observe what this naturally attracts into my life.

However, sometimes I become more like the wind, feeling I need to go out there and make lots of effort to make things happen in my life.  This is not always the most effective place for me to operate from and if not kept in balance can be quite exhausting.  We all need to be reminded every once in a while to slow down and smell the flowers.I suppose you can compare it to the yin and yang energies - the object always being to have a balance of both in our lives. 

For me, the kitchen is where much magic occurs - it's the place where I can let my creative spirit fly and let my sunny radiant self express.  The yang energy can produce technically great results but if not infused with the yin, creative, loving essence, the food will fall flat.

One thing I know for sure is that when I'm living from a place of light and doing something every day to connect me with my own yin essence, like a moth to a flame or bees to nectar, everything I need is naturally attracted into my life - it's the beautiful alchemy of being.

When I'm out there banging on doors, trying to make things happen, I'm engaging in struggle and often end up feeling drained and defeated and wondering why life isn't how I want it to be.

It's Mother's Day and time to embrace the loving, nurturing essence within all of us - male and female alike.  So to bring a little sunshine into your life, get your dancing shoes on, turn up the music and cook up a  pot of my yummy Sunshine Carrot Soup.  Happy Mother's Day to all!

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Sunshine Carrot Soup:

1 onion – diced

6 – 8 carrots – peeled and diced

1 garnet yam – peeled and diced

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. lemon zest

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. sea salt – or to taste

1 cup coconut milk

Lemon juice

Lemon slices to garnish

Optional garnishes – minced parsley, chives or cilantro

Prepare your ingredients -  peel and dice onion, carrot and yam,  mince fresh ginger and grate lemon zest with microplane or small citrus zester.

Heat coconut oil in a saucepan and sauté onion for a minute with a pinch of sea salt.  Add the carrot, yam, ginger, lemon zest and spices along with more sea salt to taste.  Continue to sauté for a minute, then add about 4 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, until veggies are soft. 

Allow to cool a little then blend until creamy, adding coconut milk as you blend.  You can add a little more water if necessary to get the right consistency.

Taste test and adjust seasoning if necessary.  Sometimes I like to add a dash of umeboshi plum vinegar to enhance the flavor.

Serve in bowls, garnished with lemon slices and if you choose, any of the optional garnishes.