Entering into reflection, Jewishly
I was in the middle of my end-of-year assessment and it struck me that despite so many good things happening, it's been an exceptionally tough year. No wonder I'm emotionally exhausted and physically frail and can't enjoy the good things as they should be enjoyed.
I've decided to take the symbolic approach to handling this. In fact, I've decided to take the Polack family's symbolic approach. It will increase my happiness (and already has) and it will increase the store of good in the lives of those friends of mine who also need this.
This year will have three honey cakes. one is made (and half of it is inside quite a few people already), the other is in the oven, and the third I shall make on Sunday. It says something good that, although I have so much hurt this week that sleep does not come easily or often, I have enough capacity to do these things. A lot of the fatigue and pain I'm carrying, then, is due to the eye and due to stress and anxiety. We're hoping the eye will continue to get better, and the fatigue and anxiety I can work on. It's good to remind myself that the underlying health is good and I am capable of much amazing stuff.
My first cake was for my class and all my friends who do not drink alcohol, mainly for religious reasons. I've kept a bit aside in case anyone who drops in on Monday or Tuesday also cannot take alcohol.
Cake 2 is the special one. It's baked joy. I used to do a great deal of cooking when I was stressed, but I need people to eat the cooking, so that's gone by the wayside. So many of my friends these days say "You're stressed, let me buy something on the way." And I've admitted to exhaustion, and been working 14 hours a day and seven days a week and said "Yes, what a good idea" and forgotten that cooking for others is something that makes me happy. Playing with recipes and inventing something new and wonderful also makes me happy. So there's an extra cake this year not for need, but purely because I can.
I've changed the recipe a bit. It has more honey and less sugar. It has eight free range organic pullet eggs, from the market on Sunday. It's full of ginger, cloudberry liqueur, fine chocolate, rich mocha harar and has halved glace cherries, just for fun. This is my personal reassurance that this year will be good and sweet and full of good ingredients.
If anyone's considering visiting, after 2-3 pm on Monday or Tuesday is open house, with honey cake: if I can't get to my family, then friends get much cake and coffee. Afternoon and evening, basically, afternoon because of family tradition, evening because it's a work day for the masses. If you've had a bad year, ask for the special cake. It will be in hiding, otherwise, for some of us need it more than others.
For those who want to play along but can't get to Canberra, I've been asked by so many people for the cake recipe that I'll post it on my author blog on Sunday. I'll let you know when it's up.
I've decided to take the symbolic approach to handling this. In fact, I've decided to take the Polack family's symbolic approach. It will increase my happiness (and already has) and it will increase the store of good in the lives of those friends of mine who also need this.
This year will have three honey cakes. one is made (and half of it is inside quite a few people already), the other is in the oven, and the third I shall make on Sunday. It says something good that, although I have so much hurt this week that sleep does not come easily or often, I have enough capacity to do these things. A lot of the fatigue and pain I'm carrying, then, is due to the eye and due to stress and anxiety. We're hoping the eye will continue to get better, and the fatigue and anxiety I can work on. It's good to remind myself that the underlying health is good and I am capable of much amazing stuff.
My first cake was for my class and all my friends who do not drink alcohol, mainly for religious reasons. I've kept a bit aside in case anyone who drops in on Monday or Tuesday also cannot take alcohol.
Cake 2 is the special one. It's baked joy. I used to do a great deal of cooking when I was stressed, but I need people to eat the cooking, so that's gone by the wayside. So many of my friends these days say "You're stressed, let me buy something on the way." And I've admitted to exhaustion, and been working 14 hours a day and seven days a week and said "Yes, what a good idea" and forgotten that cooking for others is something that makes me happy. Playing with recipes and inventing something new and wonderful also makes me happy. So there's an extra cake this year not for need, but purely because I can.
I've changed the recipe a bit. It has more honey and less sugar. It has eight free range organic pullet eggs, from the market on Sunday. It's full of ginger, cloudberry liqueur, fine chocolate, rich mocha harar and has halved glace cherries, just for fun. This is my personal reassurance that this year will be good and sweet and full of good ingredients.
If anyone's considering visiting, after 2-3 pm on Monday or Tuesday is open house, with honey cake: if I can't get to my family, then friends get much cake and coffee. Afternoon and evening, basically, afternoon because of family tradition, evening because it's a work day for the masses. If you've had a bad year, ask for the special cake. It will be in hiding, otherwise, for some of us need it more than others.
For those who want to play along but can't get to Canberra, I've been asked by so many people for the cake recipe that I'll post it on my author blog on Sunday. I'll let you know when it's up.
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