Ketchup
And the view of the soul
The start of this year was very tough for me (read here and here for more information). I accompanied my mother in the last days of her life and have missed her a lot since her death, even if I often enough feel that she is not really “gone”. But physically she’s no longer there to chat about our week, to exchange ideas about nutrition and alternative healing methods, to sit in a café together or to go for a stroll through town. All the things that we were so happy to share with each other.
When we experience a big loss there are only two options: either to perceive everything that is missing from the human perspective, or to see what is still there from the perspective of the soul. For me it’s usually a constant change. But without the soul perspective everything would be incomparably harder and more painful. When I teach yoga on our retreats, I often say that what we learn on the mat doesn’t stop after class, but goes way beyond it. I have never felt this truth more than this year. After all, yoga means the unity of body and soul. In yoga and meditation we fathom the soul so that it‘s easier to hear its voice in everyday life. And this voice is my lifeline since saying goodbye to my mother.
Living from the soul means being in the moment and accepting that we are where we are. A friend recently called this “radical acceptance”. Anyone who thinks this stance means standing still is completely wrong. Because accepting the moment is an accelerator for all kinds of developments. When we are present in the moment, we stop telling our long-rehearsed stories, which often enough lead to everything staying the same. Being present can be our salvation, no matter how difficult the situation is. Because if we briefly forget our story and ask ourselves how we are in this very moment, we often have to answer truthfully: “actually quite good”.
So my focus this year is to live a lot more in the moment, enjoy the little things in life and appreciate the people and animals around me. For me, this also includes creating a good environment that feels cozy and nurturing. This also includes good food that nourishes body and soul and triggers this very specific sense of wellbeing.
Maybe it’s absurd to go from death to soul and then straight to ketchup. Or maybe not. Because for me, a good ketchup is one of the things that make me pretty happy at the moment. It certainly has a lot to do with my earliest childhood memories, when I ate french fries and ketchup in a restaurant and thought it was the best food on earth. When I sit in the garden with my husband and the sun is setting, the cicadas are chirping and homemade oven fries with ketchup are on the table, then I still think that this is one of the best foods between heaven and earth. Some call it radical acceptance, others call it a really good moment.
And now my question for you: have you already experienced situations in which the view of the soul was your lifeline? Or have you had a nice moment lately (with or without ketchup) that just made you happy? I look forward to your comment under this post!
KETCHUP
Ingredients
- 400 g tomato strained from the jar
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup grade A or C
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/3 tsp smoked paprika powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer over medium temperature for about 45 to 60 minutes to reduce the liquid. Stir in between so that nothing burns.
- Disinfect a glass bottle with a capacity of 200 to 250 ml with boiling water. Pour in the hot ketchup, close it and place it upside down for 5 minutes (the bottle can be put upside down in a small saucepan so that it does not fall over).
- Keep the ketchup in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.
Wellcuisine-Tipp
