Remembrance of Things Past

While baking a batch of madeleines the other day, I remembered how inextricably linked they are to a segment of  Marcel Proust's novel, In Rembrance of Times Past. 

She sent for one of those squat plump little cakes called "petites madeleines," which look as though they had been molded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell … I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure invaded my senses …

Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I was conscious that it was connected with the taste of tea and cake… Whence did it come? What did it signify? How could I seize upon and define it. 

And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray … when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane …. and the whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being, town and garden alike, from my cup of tea.

Taste sometimes propels me headfirst into a memory from the past, but for me that magical journey to another time and place is more usually achieved through the sense of smell. For example, the scent of diesel instantly takes me back to childhood visits to my grandparents in industrial Birmingham, England with the image of a bus station to accompany it. Wax crayons, and fresh notebooks to the first days of school and the tummy tingling sense of nervous anticipation . The scent of certain colognes reminds me nostalgically of certain teenage crushes.

Taking Time to Reflect

The great blue heron is so regal. They seem to be such solitary creatures, quietly reflecting as they look out across the water. This particular heron resides just a short walk from where I work, so he is a city bird who has found a quiet place for himself. He is a reminder to take the time to reflect, to meditate, to be alone with your thoughts.

Take a Moment

With Christmas just a week away it's a good time to take a break from the chaos and bustle of getting ready for the holidays.

So step back from the mad shopping and all the items on your list to take a moment to enjoy a hot chocolate or some other soothing drink. Take the time to make it a little special, perhaps add a cinnamon stick or candy cane, froth some milk to drizzle across the top. Then sit down to drink it leisurely.

Spend those precious moments to slow down and catch your breath. Pause to consider what truly needs to be done and what isn't really all that important. It will help you gain perspective and set you back on the right path for the coming days.

Tea and Pomegranates

One of the loveliest books I've read recently is Nazneen Sheikh's Tea and Pomegranates. This memoir weaves family, food and culture into an evocative feast, filled with memories and beautiful phrasing. The descriptions are so tantalising that it makes the reader want to run to the kitchen to try one of the numerous recipes that Sheikh has generously selected to share.

When I read the passages about her introduction to pink Kashmiri tea and delicious pastries by her grandmother, I thought of summer visits to my own grandmother's house in England as a child and the cups of tea "Nannie" would bring to me in bed, along with a few digestive biscuits for dunking. Only once this morning ritual was completed was I expected to get on with the day.


Though not nearly as exotic as Kashmiri pink tea and pastry, the memories of my grandmother's tea, served lovingly to a child in bed, are just as precious.

From Tea and Pomegranates:
My grandmother poured the pink tea from the samovar into a cup. I watched the straight line of her black eyebrows crease as she shredded a spiral of gossamer-thin pastry into the tea.... Many years after that memorable breakfast, when I first discovered that a handful of green tea leaves could be transformed into a rare delicacy called Kashmiri pink tea, I sensed the tapestry of my grandmother's life unfurl before me.... Although Bashirabad is lost, my grandmother's history lives in every cup of Kashmiri tea I drink. (Penguin Canada, 2005)

Leaving Space

When too many cares and concerns come to the fore, they can take up a lot of space in your head... leaving little room for creativity, inspiration and being present in the moment. I am trying to remind myself to leave space for life to happen; to not allow thoughts of "what ifs" to crowd out all of the incidental moments in my day that make life rich and joyous.

Breathe and Grow

The crocuses are up. Time to clear away the leaves from the flower beds to let the spring bulbs breathe and grow.

Relish the Moment, Anticipate the Outcome

This bourgainvillea didn't reach the top of the trellis overnight. And it will be some time before it grows enough to cover its support. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't appreciate its beauty at every stage of its growth.

We live in such a fast-paced world that even our computer taking several seconds longer to load can cause us much irritation. The red light at the intersection, the grocery-store line-up, even listening for the beep at the end of a long-winded answering machine message can seem like an endless wait. The quicker we are able to achieve things, the lower our tolerance to delay becomes.

Imagine how long it used to take to travel somewhere by horse compared to by car, or plane. How difficult it must have been to wait a year for the next taste of fresh strawberries, rather than just the time it takes to drive to the grocery store. The agonizing longing for a letter to arrive when there was no airmail, let alone instantaneous e-mail.

How much more our ancestors must have relished those things when they finally came! How much sweeter the first strawberries of the season must have been. We need to step back and relish the moment we find ourselves in, anticipating the outcome and enjoying the time in between.

Soften the Edges

These stones that I brought back from a trip to Nova Scotia have been polished by the actions of water and time.

The fact that something as soft as the flow of water can soften the edges of something as hard as stone seems at first glance rather odd. These stones remind me of something I recently read from the teachings of Lao Tzu:

"Nothing wears away hard strong rocks as well as soft, weak water. From this anyone can see that softness is harder than hardness, and weakness is stronger than strength."

From: Tao by Timothy Freke. N.Y.: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2002.

Every End Is a Beginning

"Every end is a beginning." Tai Gong Diao, taoist sage

"The relationship between yin and yang produces a circular evolution in which every end is a beginning." Everything is constantly in the process of becoming its opposite: day into night, young into old, life into death.

In yoga class we were reflecting on the transformation of the seasons, of winter into spring. The strength of the sun is returning. We can feel a shift in energy. This is a joyful change for most of us. But even in the more difficult changes, such as happiness into sadness, one can find acceptance because eventually that sadness will pass once again into happiness. We can accept endings because they are also beginnings. Allow life to ebb and flow.

As the month of February ends, March begins. What is ending and what is beginning in your life?

The Strength of Words

Since we're not quite finished with January, there's still time to give the year ahead some thought. I set aside some time this weekend to think about the words that described what I would like to see in my life this coming year. I then picked out some smooth flat stones and wrote one of these words on each stone in either silver or gold. You could pick one stone a day and reflect on what that word means in your life. Recognise the ways in which it is already present, and ponder how to draw more of it to yourself. What would your words be?

Birthday Wisdom

“Woman must come of age herself. She must find her true center alone. She must become whole.” (Anne Morrow Lindbergh)

Around the Bend

With the arrival of my birthday tomorrow it’s only natural to look ahead and wonder what might be around the bend for the coming year. After a challenging summer with family health issues, hopefully life will settle down a little to make space for challenges of the happier variety. It’s always good to allow oneself the room to try new things, as well as to re-acquaint oneself with old passions that have for one reason or another fallen by the wayside. And of course it is human nature to also look back at what has been and reflect on the paths taken and not taken. But if one does take the time to look back, then it better be with the intention of learning what one can from what has been and then look forward once again, to plant oneself firmly in the present and do things differently or at least strive for growth and development. Here’s to a year of new discoveries, treasured memories and lots of joyful creativity.

Reflections on Summer

My goodness, I have finally stopped long enough to realize that we’re in September already. Now how did that happen without my knowing? September is my favourite month. For one thing there is that whole nostalgic back-to-school feeling that lies beneath the surface as I sense the days shortening and the mornings getting a little nippy. I have experienced that shopping for school supplies rush firsthand again this year as both boys are still in school, albeit high school and this year... university. No matter how many years go by since I was enrolled in school, I still love the feeling of new beginnings, of the possibilities that a new school year brings.

It may have taken me all this time, but happily the epiphany was reached while there was still summer left on the calendar. With fall not scheduled until September 22 this year, lovely sunny summer days lie ahead to enjoy. So I’m grateful that my awareness has come in time to step back and be conscious of these last days of summer. I hope you will take a moment each day to find the pleasure in the warmth of the sun above and the grouond below your feet and of course that warmth that comes from all the lively sights and sounds of this spirited if sometimes lazy season.