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This is a story about the gift of contrast. Water and desert are used as analogies not labels – I could use, for example, the polar ice caps and the tropics. Water and the desert just work for me.

Imagine you’ve focused your life’s work on the study of water and you move to the desert.  Like anyone who has a career specialty, we hive together feeding off each other’s energy, comparing our pails of water.  When I moved from Toronto/New York to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I had no idea where to put my bucket.

It’s a beautiful thing to be a stranger in a welcoming place. You must learn to navigate a new space and before you can know where you belong, you have to know where you are.

Now, you may think you know where this story is going. The water/desert metaphor is just too strong and it would be easy to assume that there is an epiphany of the desert needing the water.

Cue the plot twist.

As I look out my big studio windows,  my current body of work reads:

  • episodic hourly drama series pilot/pitch complete
  • reality tv show pitch complete
  • two podcasts in development
  • national staged project fusing sciences and arts in production
  • jewelry design company
  • special projects for regional organizations that utilize my particular ‘water skillset’

This has been the most productive time of my entire career. Yes, of course, obviously, there is a lot of creativity and artistry in the foothills of these mountains- that is a given. Yet in learning about this place, I have learned so much about myself. It has redefined my work with a freedom that I did not find while swimming in the ocean with my bucket.

Huh! Plot twist revealed –  Turns out that what my study of water was missing, was the desert.

 

 

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Oprah and Co-CEO John MacKay discuss MacKay’s ongoing revolutionary approach to providing a healthy, organic food market alternative. There are a lot of great tidbits here, insights into his personal mantras that opened the possibilities for his astounding success with Whole Food’s Market.

We may not be nor endeavour to be the CEO of a multi-million dollar company but MacKay’s perspective on running his billion dollar company offers wonderful insight whatever our job or career. After listening to this week’s SuperSoulSunday program, I feel the perspective is clearly more than ‘business acumen’, it is a mindful way to look for adventure, creativity and love in every aspect of your life.

For this week`s soup recipe, I`ve decided to add some creativity with a touch of adventure. Potato soup is always delicious and comforting. Just as it is. My recipe this week will add – wait for it – leeks! A little bit oniony, sweet, that ingredient that causes people to say `what am I tasting here – I know this flavour, just can`t place it….` It doesn`t take much to add a touch of creative adventure to our lives. If you aren`t sure where to begin, start with the soup. Time to kick it up a notch – ENJOY!

img_1464-1Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients

6 – 8 medium size Potatoes (your choice of kind)

4 -6 stalks of Leeks, chopped  (soaked to be sure the dirt is out of the leaves; use the white part and lighter green part of the stalk)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Vegetable Broth or Water (enough to cover the vegetables once in the pot)

Milk or Cream (one third to one half of a cup)

How To Make It:

1. Cover bottom of pot with the olive oil and heat.

2. Add the leeks and saute for 5 – 10 minutes.

3. Add the cut up potatoes and stir.

4. Cover the vegetables with either broth or water and heat to boil.

5. Simmer the vegetables in the pot until they are cooked through.

6. Cool then using a blender or hand emulsifier, puree until smooth.

7. Add the milk or cream then salt & pepper to taste.

8. Warm through until heated and ENJOY!