"A Time To Talk," golden chickpea soup, and Bob Ross
I spent three hours with some amazing writers yesterday. They were spread across the country, each sitting at their homes, and we all met up on Zoom for a class I teach. A storm raged outside here in Maine. Ice and snow and freezing rain came tumbling out of the sky. But in my office and with my connection with these amazing humans, I was warm and at peace. And I realized right there how lucky we can be in moments like that—moments where we get to be with people who care the same way you do and who are generous.
We were talking about antagonists—villains—in stories and their roles and if you have to have them in your novel.
I told an anecdote about how our daily digital newspaper posts letters on Sundays (when we get them) from readers and we had just posted one that was political.
Instantly, we received an email from a woman. The email subject line was “So Disappointed.” She was super angry at us for posting a letter to the editor (it comes to her email just like this) that she did not approve of.
And I realized that I was the villain in her story for that day, Sunday, at least for an hour.
What a weird thing to realize, right? And what a weird thing to write in a place that’s supposed to be about finding comfort.
Here’s why I was okay with being the villain in her story and hopefully you can find a bit of comfort in it, too. She felt safe enough to rant at me in an email. That’s kind of cool, right? It means she felt a sort of ownership in what we do and felt comfortable enough to express her anger. Or, at least, that’s how I’m choosing to look at it.
That’s what I want.
I want to be a place that is safe enough that people can know that they can tell me they are upset. I want to be a place where they don’t have to worry that I’ll lash out back at them. That’s pretty comforting to me.
It’s not always easy, right? But it’s all good. And there’s comfort in that, too. Maybe not the same comfort as a soup or a cozy blanket or a cuddle, but it’s something.
Maybe comfort is about a mindset, a place you can visit when things get too big and too much. Even if you don’t get to stay in that comforting space/mindset, it’s nice to know it’s been there and you can hopefully return to it again.
This week, I want to start with a poem.
A Time to Talk
Robert Frost
When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.
This poem is in the public domain, which is sort of amazing.
THE PHOTO
I’ve been working on this painting for a bit now, hoping it would inform the novel I’m working on. And it made me think of the comfort that comes from being in that flow state.
Mathilde Collin and others say that a good way to find your zone is to do an energy audit. This just means:
Look at how you spend your time for work-related stuff for two weeks.
Track that time.
Get some highlighters are look at every hour and say, “Did that drain me or charge me up?” Make draining one color. Enliven another. All hours must have one of these two colors.
Write out each color into a list form.
Get rid of the draining tasks somehow. She suggests eliminating, outsourcing or tweaking that task to “make it awesome.”
That sounds a bit complicated, but maybe we can think about what charges us up, what gives us life and enlivens us and then maybe try to spend a little more time doing that?
THE SOUP-GOLDEN CHICKPEA
I’ve seen this soup around a lot this past year, but the first version I’ve found of it comes from Pinch of Yum back in 2017, so that’s the one I’m going to source for you all.
Shaun (the husband) gets weirdly nervous whenever I make anything with chickpeas, but he approves of this recipe. I hope you do, too!
THINGS YOU PUT IN IT
2 tablespoons olive oil
half an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into about 5 cups of chunks or florets
1 cup cashews
1 tablespoon turmeric – see notes
7–8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
a squeeze of lemon juice
HOW TO MAKE IT
“Sauté: Heat the oil in a deep soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, cauliflower, cashews, and turmeric. Sauté for 10 minutes or until very fragrant.
“Simmer: Add the water (I usually start with 4 cups) and salt. Simmer until softened.
“Blend: Transfer the soup to a blender and blend into a creamy consistency. It’s best to do this in batches.
“Finish: Return to the soup pot and add any additional water (remaining 2-3 cups) if you need to thin it out. Also a good time to season with more salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Also a good time to top with spiced chickpeas and parsley and olive oil and more salt and put on your most comfy sweater and FALL IN LOVE. ♡”
Notes
“For the Spiced Chickpea Topping: Drain and rinse 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas. Spread them on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle chickpeas with a dusting of cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, and/or any other spice combo you want. Drizzle with olive oil. Stir right on the pan, then roast for 30-40 minutes or until semi-crispy.
“Turmeric: Turmeric has a strong flavor, so if you’ve never tried it before and you’re not sure you will like it, I would suggest using 1-2 teaspoons to start. If you’re a confident turmeric user, go for the full 1 tablespoon!
“Blender Stains: Depending on your blender, this soup can leave a stain from the turmeric. If this happens, we recommend leaving your blender sitting in a window in the sun for a day or two which will help get rid of the stains!”