Sometimes, it all comes down to a few basic ingredients.  It's not always about the most exotic spices, or the gourmet sauce, or the exotic type of fish from remote island waters.  Don't get me wrong, I love nothing more than discovering new and exciting taste sensations.  But pork roast and potatoes can be just as satisfying.

I grew up on routine, fairly bland dishes.  After salt and pepper, there were not many other spices to be found in my mother's kitchen.  I learned about seasoning, sauces, and meats other than beef and pork as I grew up and interacted with different families and with different cultures.

So too, in my life, I expanded beyond safe, secure routines of going to work, coming home, and the occasional night at the movies.  I tried my hand at owning a business, singing with a band, writing music, riding a motorcycle.  These may not be the most exotic things a person can do, but they took me outside of the experiences I had known all my life and each one expanded my horizons.

And now, due to the physical condition I have mentioned in this blog, I am back to the basics while I wait for a surgery date.  The most I can do is go to work, come home, watch a little TV and sleep.  And I find I am content.  Without the buzz and chatter in my head that goes along with keeping social activities, work deadlines, and volunteer commitments all going at once, I find I am enjoying my days at work so much more.  I am fully present to the work I do and to the people I supervise in ways I never have been before.  Although I have always loved this work I do, there is depth of satisfaction in it that I had not experienced prior to this time of limited activity. 

Also, I find my time at home that much more restful.  I really thought I would do more writing since I eliminated most of my outside commitments.  But instead, I am taking more time to simply be.  I linger over a book and a cup of coffee.  I watch TV as a way of allowing myself to drift away from stress and anxiety.  I sleep more.

It makes no difference that my life is simplified out of necessity.  I am back to a few basic ingredients and I have come to appreciate the sustaining nourishment they provide.  This too, is the main meal, in every way as satisfying as a serving from a five star restaurant.