Crispy Eggplant Burger with Caramelized Onions & Tomato Jam

(“From the Heart” is a little accompaniment to the recipes I bring you, a more intimate space for me to share some of my more personal thoughts on life. Here you’ll find my reflections on my own inner/spiritual journey, on being a wife and a mother, on being a creative, and general observations—pretty much whatever is on my mind.

I whole-heartedly believe that sharing “from the heart” with one another is what connects us, heals us, and inspires us! Glad you’re here…)

For as long as I can remember, that small quiet voice within me that gives me a gentle nudge, or prompts me to go in a particular direction, has been a friend to me.

I don’t know if I would call it my intuition, or the voice of my soul, or even God’s gentle whisper in my ear…

What I do know is that I try my best to stay open to it as much as I possibly can, to keep my antennas up and ready to receive it, because I rely on it to guide me along on my journey in this life.

The experience that I’ve had so far with this quiet voice, this inner feeling, is that it often turns my attention towards something, points to something that needs examination, and gingerly says, “Here…have a real look. And now go deeper, and find out what your heart says about it.”

This quiet inner voice always prompts a change of some kind, be it in how I perceive something, or how I approach it, and I have found that what that quiet voice longs to do is to help me find the truth in something, even if it is hidden or if I’d prefer not to face it and rather keep it obscured.

…sometimes, old acquaintances and old relationships need to be turned away from because they stifle and hold in captivity the very life force that longs to be flung into the world boldly and wildly, so it can be free.

See, change really is what creates newness and freshness; it offers an opportunity for the continuation of a healthy existence, of a life that is vibrant and worth living, and constantly evolving.

The desire for it seems to be written into our very DNA.

Change often manifests as a shift in direction.

It manifests as an awakening or an awareness of the need to get rid of something detrimental that closes one off, or as a desire to go after something that contains light and ultimately mercy and goodness that will open one up.

If change does not occur, then that which exists yet is no longer viable or “alive”, will begin to deplete valuable resource to those areas which need the resource, and a slow death will begin to occur, a choking of all that longs to flourish.

And I want life, a full and meaningful one—a rich one—at that.

However, it is not easy to change course, or to set off in a new way, with new intention.

To leave behind what is familiar and what one has grown accustomed to is akin to leaving behind old friends and acquaintances who’s habits and responses one knows all too well, and who, for better or for worse, are fixtures in one’s life.

But sometimes, old acquaintances and old relationships need to be turned away from because they stifle and hold in captivity the very life force that longs to be flung into the world boldly and wildly, so it can be free.

And that’s where the small, quiet voice comes in…

It goes straight to the sacred place within one’s being, and whispers that a change needs to be made so that life can continue to grow and expand, rather than shrink and contract.

So here’s to courage in listening to that nurturing quiet voice…

And here’s to courage in examining those areas in life that need some change, need a new direction, need some air and to be refreshed.

Here’s to releasing “old acquaintances” that stifle beauty and freedom, and to embracing (even if on fawn legs and a nervous tummy) new ways that speak of who one is today, or better yet, who one is capable of becoming tomorrow.

I long for my best self to shine, and I refuse to settle for anything less.

Taste what’s good and pass it on.

Ingrid

Taste what’s good and pass it on.

Ingrid