“On a good, calm day it is hard to know what to make of photos that show, in no uncertain terms, that every single thing you will ever and could ever know is simultaneously galactically insignificant and unspeakably beautiful and precious. Today, the world held its breath waiting for the 8 p.m. eastern deadline Trump set for Iran to agree to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. If his terms weren’t met, he posted this morning, “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”… And yet at the very same moment, four flesh-and-blood human beings are hundreds of thousands of miles away taking pictures of our delicate little world. Their mission and their photos remind us of something else entirely—of a yearning to learn, to explore, and to band together to become something greater than the sum of our parts.”
Hildegard de Bingen, who lived in the early 12th century, was an astounding polymath, theologian, and visionary. I’ve recently rediscovered her “mandalas”, designs meant to open our eyes to new ways of seeing…
“The [mandalas] were thought to be as strong or stronger than the words themselves. There is a gestalt immediacy, what Hindu’s refer to as darshan, meaning the simultaneous act of seeing and being seen by a deity.”
The astronauts hugging each other after naming a crater after Reid Wiseman’s late wife Carroll. Link to the video
“Unlike happiness, joy can live alongside sadness, boredom, fear, or despair. It expands our capacity to hold contradictory truths at the same time—and because we know joy, we recover a strange, steady confidence that life is still worth loving, even when it hurts.”
“Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.”
Dean Koontz
Hard times call for sweet things, particularly if they are easy to make and really, really good. This week I had a small culinary epiphany… Clafouti, (which is one of my favorite desserts ) is a cousin to the delicious dessert known as a Dutch Baby as well as a new favorite dessert of mine (and Christopher Kimball), Pan de Elote.
What they have in common is that they are all “blender cakes”.
Here’s the basic blueprint – a little bit of flour (of your choice), some eggs, some liquid, a sweetener (as much or little as you want) and various flavorings. They all go into a blender before being poured into a pan to be cooked.
So easy.
So fast.
So delicious.
You’re welcome!
Here are the three blender cakes I’ve cooked and can attest to…
This is my favorite clafouti recipe. Clafouti is traditionally made with cherries, but berries, pears and other fruits work well, too. I often add nuts (usually slivered almonds) as well.
A Dutch Baby is almost identical to a clafouti in terms of the ingredients, but you add the fruit afterwards. Here’s the NY Times recipe for a classic sweet Dutch baby. You can also make a savory Dutch Baby if you are looking for a fast dinner.
And then there is the life changing, amazing Pan de Elote or “Mexican Corn Bread”. (which has nothing to do with the cornbread most of us know). My favorite recipe for Pan de Elote calls for fresh corn, but frozen or canned work well, especially for those of us who don’t have a lot of extra time to cook.
Here’s a few more blender cakes that look easy (and fast) that are on my list to try!
Vanilla blender cake is basically a sponge cake, but most recipes say it has the moist crumb of Japanese sponge cake (which is not at all a problem!) Adding fruit like peaches or bananas is an option, too.
I have a mantra bracelet that says “Choose Joy”… which I wear because, at the time I bought it, it seemed like a really good idea. I still think it’s a good idea, but more and more, I’m not really sure what it means…
Merriam Webster defines joy as an emotion, but I have come to understand that true joy is not just an emotional state. Human experience is nearly always a combination of body, mind, and spirit… or, for healers, a reflection of the state of our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Joan Halifax teaches that we are responsible to embrace practices that enable compassion to arise. We can choose to act compassionately, but true compassion is not a choice. I wonder if, like compassion, authentic joy (along with awe and love) isn’t the same. What if joy “arises” within us, welling up from some delightful, deep place that is beyond our mind’s ability to choose? And if that is true, what might the practices be that would nurture joy in our lives?
Notice where you are
Mindfulness, particularly when combined with gratitude, is a powerful way to nurture joy. A few years ago, I wrote this in my journal… “As I sit here now, typing on a work computer with a full day of work ahead of me and a “to do” list that is overwhelming…. I am able to see this computer. I am able to listen to the music someone across the room just put on a speaker for all of us. I am able to type. This place is safe. The people I’m working with are helping others. We are about to have lunch together, to literally break bread as a team. And in consciously making this list of things I might have otherwise taken for granted, I feel the gentle seed of joy beginning to grow.”
Joy is not a binary (there or not), it is more like a spectrum from no sense of joy to overwhelming joy that borders on awe. That’s important because mindfulness (and all other practices) will initially feel like they barely move the needle… and that’s ok. No matter where you start (even if the gauge is on empty), grateful mindfulness will lead to a tiny seed of joy. And over time and with practice, that seed will grow, allowing joy to arise more often and with greater ease.
Nurture the things that bring you joy
Nurturing things you know bring you joy begins with simply noticing when you have joy well up within you. One of the best ways to make this a true practice is to use the “delight practice” described by Ross Gay, an embodied practice that reinforces joy.
That may be enough. But joy also grows through more deliberate practices such as prayer/meditation, reading, journaling, playing music, calling or writing to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, walking in nature, checking in with older relatives if it’s been more than a couple of days, learning something new, cooking for your family and/or friends.
There are many teachers of joy who can also help you on this journey. For example Thich Nat Hanh offers instruction for five practices (mindfulness, letting go, inviting positive seeds, concentration, and insight) to nurture happiness. (If you aren’t familiar with his life and teachings, it is a wonderful place to start as you seek more joy in your life.) The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu shared their wisdom in The Book of Joy, which is another wonderful resource to think about and nurture joy.
Bring joy to others
Joy is contagious but even more importantly, making other people happy brings joy to you as well. This doesn’t have to be big gestures or gifts. Take, for example, the “hello ministry” a friend recently described to me. Instead of walking by strangers (and even sometimes acquaintances), this practice is simply to smile and say “hello” to every person who crosses your path. How simple is that? (Or how hard, depending on your day.)
Gratitude journals have been shown to bring joy and, yes, just writing down three things you are grateful for (or three things you did to bring someone else joy) is powerful. But the real power of the gratitude journal is not the nightly list – it’s that it changes how you see your day. Because this nightly task exists, you subconsciously frame your day with gratitude and joy, looking for moments and events to record later.
Fake it until you make it (sort of)
You can’t fake real joy, but you can decide to act joyfully. St. Isaac the Syrian, a 7th Century Eastern Orthodox theologian talks about beginning actions joyfully, which is a choice. In essence you can choose to act joyfully even though you feel no joy. What that specifically means for you may be intentionally smiling, or walking with a posture that says you are happy… but whatever you decide will be unique to you, since each of us expresses joy differently. That being said, there are a few things I believe are common to all who seek to act joyfully – enthusiasm, laughter, and kindness.
(A small caveat…this is an idea to experiment with. Acting in a way that feels inauthentic can also lead to injury (emotional and spiritual)… hence the “sort of”.)
The 10 Commandments of Joy
Susan Sparks (a lawyer, pastor, and stand-up comedian) has come up with 10 Commandments of Joy.
I can’t think of a better way to bless your journey than to share them:
1-Thou Shalt Not Worry
2-Thou Shalt Not Let Anger Steal Your Joy
3-Thou Shalt Believe You Deserve Joy
4-Thou Shalt Laugh with God
5-Thou Shalt Pray It and Say It: I’m Grateful!
6-Thou Shalt Laugh with Your Neighbor—Even if Your Neighbor is a Telemarketer
7-Thou Shalt Laugh and Eat Chocolate and Chili Peppers
8-Thou Shalt Be Like the Little Children
9-Thou Shalt Lean on Laughter in Times of Trouble
10 -Thou Shalt Not Waste ANY Opportunities for Joy
I’m not a great fan of New Year’s Resolutions in general. Like all of you, I’ve made them and broken them more years than not. But that being said, I do think the new year is a time we should pause and take account of where we’ve been and where we want our journey to lead us. Or, put a different way, we can use the transition to a new year to think about who we are and who we want to become.
So instead of the usual resolutions to lose weight, drink more water, exercise, etc – here are three “resolutions” for medical students, residents and physicians that may be easier to keep this year. (If you aren’t in medicine, I think they still apply.)
Be kind.
Deliberately reset your intention to be kind with every encounter you have with patients or colleagues. Don’t forget to be kind to yourself, too.
Keep up with every day tasks so they don’t weigh you down.
Clean out your medical records, record your cases, prepare food for the next day… whatever it is that will free up time and emotional energy. Make a list of these tasks with check boxes and keep it on your phone so you can see it often. Clear the list every night to start over for the next day. Celebrate what you accomplished during the day and have self-compassion for the things you weren’t able to do.
Take care of yourself – physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Be deliberate in the choices you make to take care of yourself. Don’t get overwhelmed by the pressure of wanting to do it all. Know that some days will make it hard to exercise, eat right, be still, etc. That’s ok, but don’t give up. Make sure you do something for your own wellbeing every day.
The gift you give to others through your career is special – remind yourself often of the amazing work you do. Take measures to sustain your career so you can continue give to others and have joy doing it.
