Curiosity is the answer...
and lions mane gyros
I am curious about curiosity. What makes one person so much more inquisitive than the person standing right next to them? They are interested in learning. They ask questions and wait for the answer. They seem to contribute stories that line up with the topic at hand and I feel good being in their presence. I am fortunate to have many curious people in my life.
As we grow up, go through adulthood, and enter our third chapter of our lives, we might say our most exciting yet, it is curiosity that makes our decisions on what we shall do and how we shall live. For any younger readers I want you to know I am not rushing you, we are meant to experience every stage of our lives. We are all exactly where we should be; experiencing life right at this exact moment, exact place, exact time. But fear not younger readers, when you reach the age of living life as one of “the wise” it is grand because with each decade we grow and we give less shits than we did in our 20’s, 30’s, 40’s…you get it.
The best part is we get to decide. We are nearing the age where we do not have to continue in the same career we are in. We can pivot, make choices that best serve our interests. Enter balance, work-life balance. Hasn’t that always been a myth? We live our lives. Living with the choices we make. I understand there is talk about work-life balance. Balance in our careers, social lives, spending time with ourselves, our friends and our families. Needless to say, it's all life’s choices. So when I was visiting one of my dearest friends at her home this past February, I was happy to see how she has been choosing to spend her time.
I suppose the whole process may have been easier if her pastime was to play golf with her husband, it is not. It is true she takes pleasure in the outdoors, walking each day. They frequently travel, Kathie plans epic trips that are culturally fulfilling. She likes the beach and enjoys the club where he plays golf but not enough to spend all her days there. She loves to cook and chooses to share her culinary expertise with a limited circle as she and her husband have entertained for decades already. I remember conversations about “next things” and Kathie wondering what she would do to fill her days in this newer community they call home. They were busy enough but she was still looking for accomplishment, she wasn’t worried per se but there was a bit of internalizing. You see, she is from the school of curiosity, she needed something to create. I think if you are reading this you can relate, we like a little down time but then what? What is our thing?
Well she found it! I walked past her home office and there it was. Reeds and other material hanging over the length of her door. In New England, she had taken lessons making Nantucket baskets. This was years ago and she had let it go. Well, she researched, she found a woman, an expert about 45 minutes north from where she is living, who, once she heard of Kathie’s determination took her on as a student so Kathie could relearn the fundamentals and move into her new passion with the skill and confidence of an accomplished artist.
The Blue Zones shares,
The Okinawans call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan de vida;” for both it translates to “why I wake up in the morning.” Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.
Whatever we want to call it, it is needed to keep our verve going. Our sense of self. Many call it our purpose, and Kathie has found it. When I was there she showed me her first project since recommitting to the art form. Also, she has a brand new granddaughter in the family, her son and his wife, have a little girl, Callie, who just turned 1. She alone has brought so much joy and love to all of them. For Easter, Kathie was feverishly trying to finish a one-of-a-kind Easter basket for Callie. A true labor of love.
I learned that a sign of a good finished product is that you see no daylight through the woven reed. I am sure when Kathie first started she was determined from hour 1 there would be no daylight in her baskets. She said at one point she had been concentrating so much she had not realized how still her body had been for hours on end. Turns out her body let her know over the next few days-she didn’t care. How amazing to be so caught up in your “work” you did not feel time sliding by until late afternoon. Without a care in the world for the stiff neck and back. It got me thinking, why wait? We may ask ourselves, in our daily lives what are we currently doing, learning, reading about that a day can pass and we did not realize? Our answers will lead us to our next steps.
Speaking of steps, there were many in this process for her to learn: from the molds, to the handles, to the fasteners, the list of materials is endless and Kathie has years of work ahead of her. There are multiple decisions each artist discerns to make an original basket, showcasing the personality of the basket’s future owner, while retaining the integrity of the Nantucket basket artistry. I am excited to see how it all unfolds.
Her husband, John, supports her passions and he, along with Kathie, is a curious and gracious host. My visit was delightful and my happiness for my friend was bottomless. It is wonderful to witness another discover something they truly love to do. More so that she chooses an artistic skill for her “ikigai”. Kathie has always loved different cultures and to bring people together in community ensuring all enjoy the day and one another. It was nice to see her turn her attention to herself. To choose to work on a skill and keep her hands moving has been rewarding. She has a few finished products and others in the making and any of them could be sold in a boutique for a pretty penny but she chooses, as she can at this point in her life, to keep them for family and friends which trends perfectly for Kathie. It sure expands our minds on what is possible. If she can do it, we can too. Why not?
Comment below on something you have been curious about of late. Let’s read how we are all spending our time growing and learning. Me, I’ve been experimenting with recipes I haven’t made before like the one I am sharing here.
Recommended Recipe
Lions Mane “Steak” Gyro
One of my favorite people to see on Instagram is Sam Jones of No Meat Disco. I looked his name up for this post. He has a cool cat vibe and his food ideas are off the charts delish. This is one of his meals I tried and added a cup of beans on the side. I could have added them onto the gyro but I did not…options. If you are unfamiliar with this account please look him up you won’t be disappointed.
My father had gone to Fall River for an appointment and he stopped at Sam’s (legendary Middle Eastern bakery) and picked up a bunch of stuff but for this recipe I used the sesame pitas. He did not realize when he was buying them how spot on he was.
At the Farmer’s market I purchased the lions mane having seen the video where Sam of No Meat Disco cooks Lions Mane in the cast iron pan. I knew I would have to go back and find the video. And I did. It made two gyros.
Ingredients:
Two good size lions mane mushrooms (I need to request a larger size next time because they shrink when cooking)
1 tomato (I had cherry toms)
Pickled onions (my red onion was not pickled-I like raw onion, next time I will pickle)
Coriander aka. cilantro
Hot sauce
Pita bread
For the marinade:
2 tbsp beetroot juice (No beetroot; I subbed veggie stock)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
For the tzatziki:
I made a cup because I like extra
8 oz Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%. Sam is vegan so he used vegan yogurt)
Half a cucumber, or two grated small cukes
1 garlic clove, grated
Glug of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt/pep
(you can add dill or mint—I did not because it wasn’t in my fridge)
Take your cast iron skillet and place it over medium heat for about 2 minutes and add some olive oil 1-2 Tablespoons to the pan. The mushroom while round like a ball is still delicate so you want to gently, using your hand, take the stem and swirl it around the pan. As it gets a bit warmer grab your tongs and move it around to sear all of the sides. Sam suggests using another pan to lay on top to flatten the mushroom naturally. Don’t press down hard or it could mash. Nice and easy. Once they are seared on all sides remove from the cast iron skillet and place on a plate while you make the marinade.
Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade and take the two mushrooms and place them into the shallow bowl. Coat all over, get it into the little cracks and place in the fridge.
While the mushrooms are marinating make the tzatziki. Be sure to take the grated cucumbers and squeeze the juice in a clean kitchen towel, otherwise the tzatziki will be watery. Mix all of the ingredients together and let it sit. Chop your tomato, slice your onions, or if you have pickled onions, use them .
Take the mushroom steaks out of the fridge, add a bit more oil to the skillet and fry the mushroom 3-4 minutes a side. Heat up the pita, slather on the tzatziki, onions, tomato, slice the steak and check out how juicy it is, add hot sauce if you want, fold it together and enjoy!
I am going to add this into my rotation. I loved it. I had cooked pinto beans but any go with this meal.
Remember, start with beans!
Contact
If you have any questions on integrating beans consistently for gut health now and into the near future, please email me at Denisemancieri1@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below if there are topics you would like to see.
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Note: I am not a doctor. I am a teacher and an educator with an earned doctorate in educational leadership. I enjoy research and I can distill large amounts of information into easily understood and digestible pieces allowing people to understand what is happening to their body and possible steps to reverse it with food as medicine. I have healed my own GI issues through choices with food. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean protocol diet, I meditated and still do and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans, alongside a healthy diet and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss nutritional options before you change any course of action with your health.
Remember to leave your comments below!
What a beautiful story, those baskets are gorgeous.