A Friendly Nudge - Avoid the wreckage
...because we call could use a little encouragement!
Years ago I heard an expression that I need to be reminded of from time to time–“don’t live in the wreckage of the future.”
A perfect example of this is starting a project with the expectation that it’s going to be problematic or even a disaster.
I’m definitely guilty of that. It's “how many trips to Home Depot is this project going to be,” or if it’s technology, “how many hours on hold is this going to take?”
Over 50 years ago, I heard Timothy Gallwey, the author of Inner Tennis, talk about how much our inner dialog interferes with our performance. He talked about how it’s funny that a common expression is “entertaining doubt.” He went on to say that we’re so comfortable with doubt that we invite it in and make it a sandwich.
Gallwey also talked about the power of impartial observation and not prejudging an outcome. He was sort of ahead of his time with his mindfulness message. His initial messaging was built around athletic performance, but he later expanded it from the tennis court to every aspect of our lives.
I think our expectations have a huge impact on what we experience. If nothing else they hone the lens that we see the world through, so if we’re expecting a disaster, it’s easy for us to blow a manageable obstacle into an existential crisis.
This can be a DIY home project hitting a snag, but it can also be how we view and manage health challenges. Cancer taught me to tap the brakes just a little before I let my imagination get carried away conjuring up worst case scenarios. It also helped me appreciate the need to work on my emotional health and resiliency as much as my balance and core strength.
It’s easy to get obsessed with lifespan. Living to be 100 but being miserable, doesn’t sound like much of a bargain. I’m a lot more interested in healthspan, in living fully and joyfully and I think that robust emotional health and resiliency can play a critical role in that.
Now let’s add to that healthspan and eat something healthy and delicious– Prosciutto, Fig & Blue Cheese Salad.
Figs are one of those things that I buy on impulse and then I have to figure out what to do with them. Usually it's either to grill them or to do some sort of balsamic vinegar reduction and add goat cheese and a little maple syrup. Both of those approaches are great, but I wanted to try something different. I saw a recipe at the grocery store for a fig prosciutto salad and in the video I mentioned camembert cheese, but I was wrong, the recipe called for gorgonzola cheese.
I substituted roquefort, since it’s made from sheep’s milk and it brings a basket of funk to the party.
Since the salad has prosciutto and cheese, it has a little protein but it would be a fraction of what I’m targeting for a meal, so I’d suggest pairing this with an additional protein source. We had it with some grilled skirt steak.
Ingredients:
½ cup sherry vinegar (I use this stuff all the time)
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A few turns of fresh ground pepper
Handful of mixed greens
Pistachios
2 figs quartered on each salad serving
2 slices of prosciutto sliced thin for each salad serving
Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or other blue cheese crumbled on each salad serving
I never could understand how my parents could eat blue cheese, but as I got older and my taste buds changed, I now get it.
Prep is easy–slicing the figs and prosciutto and crumbling the cheese. I just spooned on the dressing. The acidity of the vinegar plays nicely with the funkiness and richness of the cheese and the richness of the prosciutto. The recipe I saw called for walnuts but I think pistachios play better with the figs. But this is one of those play with your food moments. If you don’t have pistachios, lightly toasting some walnuts, pecans or pine nuts would work great.
Enjoy!
Now let’s build a workout that makes a deposit in our strength, balance, mobility and resiliency account.