Get fit
(Source: abetterlifeforme)
The Appleseed Cast
—Fight Song
“Fight Song”
The Appleseed Cast
A couple years ago, Denny and I were speaking at a church, and at the end of the night, we opened the floor to questions. One young woman asked, “Why is it that depression sometimes feels like a friend?”
It took us a minute or two to get to the heart of the question, but there was a poetry in that pain. “Why is it that I cannot separate myself from the very thing that is taking the most from me?”
It reminds me of the show LOST and the character Hurley, who had a “friend” named Dave. Dave didn’t want Hurley to get better. Dave told Hurley that if his counselor or family really loved him, they wouldn’t try to change him.
I think there is truth in the value of knowing what makes you “you”—identifying the aspects of your essence that the world needs more of. That being said, life is progress. Life is change. Life is a dance. We enter the world as infants, already changing and growing day-by-day into toddlers. That line blurs into childhood, which gives way to adolescence, tween, terror, teen, legal, adult, mid-life, old-timer… Nature is a trend toward change.
You deserve the opportunity to change, and sometimes that means separating yourself from the things that hold you back. I know that isn’t easy, and it may feel like a break-up of sorts, but your life is a song that is worth the fight.
Your eating disorder—it doesn’t love you.
Your drugs and your drinks—they don’t love you.
Your misplaced pride and status—they hope you never change.
Your self-injury—it doesn’t give a damn about your heart.
Your depression—it takes no stock in your potential, in your dreams.
Your abusive relationship—it fears the day you find your voice.
We want you to change. No, we don’t mean “change who you are because it’s not good enough.” But take ownership of this life and one day live with less fear. You can stoke the fires of courage in others. You can take the moments that “should have been gold” for you and polish them for someone else.
We stand in the gap, just on the other side. We are waving you on to safe passage. Rest is not found in us, but we find fight and beauty and inspiration and springtime and laughter and warm embraces and stories in you. We see in you a great potential for change. This isn’t just about “getting better”; it’s about turning pages in your story. We are reading with our noses inches from the page, enveloped in you and all you have to offer.
So join me in saying to Depression, Addiction, Self-injury, Suicidal Thoughts, Eating Disorders—“Take your troubles solo. This is the end of you and me.”
- Chad
Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
500 grams spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente)
1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)
For the chicken marinade:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)
- Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).
- Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.
For the garlic gravy:
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
- Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
- Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.
- Add the flour and cook for a minute.
- Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this sauce.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).
Makes 5-6 servings
Goddess of Scrumptiousness Food Photography and Original Recipes by Jeannie Maristela are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at goddessofscrumptiousness.tumblr.com
HOLY FIRE
