Inspiration

We went camping this weekend, in Vermont's Green Mountains. It was our first time macro-camping. We cheated only a tiny bit by having some baked beans cooked over the fire. Jake made some amazing roasted vegetables by cutting up onions, garlic, carrots, yellow squash, and zucchini, throwing on some olive oil, a little salt, and lots of spices. He wrapped them up really well in aluminum foil before we left, and then (smartly) put them in a ziplock -- because the olive oil leaked out a bit. He threw the pockets of deliciousness into the pit of hot coals & we had a delicous meal with some brown rice. It was fabulous. For breakfast we had oatmeal, and we ate lots of sunflower seeds, dried fruit & nuts for snacks.

Anyway -- The trip reminded me that not only is macrobiotics about eating in a way that honors the earth and our bodies, but it is about living that way. The Green Mountains were absolutely divine -- filled with fresh water lakes & streams, little waterfalls, and big billowy furry tree-covered mountains that, as Jake said, "just seem to smile at you." We went to a lovely little beach in the Groton State Forest which was nestled in a host of these magestic peaks, and was, hands down, the best fresh water beach that I have ever been to. Driving through the valleys of the Green Mountains filled our souls with the kind of green, clean, simple energy that we were both craving after spending too much time in East Coast cities. We found ourselves dreaming of a simpler existence -- one where we'd wake up to landscapes of mountains, trees, meadows, and streams, rather than sirens, loud cars, booming bass, and run-down neighborhoods.

At a little bookshop in St. Johnsbury, I picked up a copy of Barbara Kingsolver's best seller, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, not realizing that it was the perfect book for our current state of mind. We started reading it in a little park in St. Johnsbury, after a greasy breakfast (which we came to regret -- and led Jake to vow off the greasy breakfasts, seemingly for good), and with a cup of chamomile tea to calm our systems... Started reading only to find that it was the perfect companion to our dreams of simple life, spent in connection with the earth & community. We're about a quarter of the way through the book by now, and it's not the same reading it on our front porch as it is reading it in the peaceful quiet of a mountain city, but we are enjoying it immensely. The premise is that the author & her family of four decide to take a year and eat only locally grown foods. They plant a huge lot of crops, forrage for morel mushrooms, and buy from their neighbors. It is spiritually satisfying and fun to read -- and for two ever-more-committed macros, it is the perfect early summer story. It talks about food with a reverance that we should all have for it - and that macrobiotics is teaching us to have. We highly recommend it. And, we also recommend the Green Mountains - simple life - and gardens. Here's hoping!