I'm trying to focus on things that bring me joy even if it's only for a few minutes. Our brain and soul need it, I think, to combat all the crazy stuff going on.
When I think about joy the first thing that comes to mind is digging up potatoes in my garden. First, I get the ground wet then I dig through the mud with my bare fingers to find potatoes. I don't know if that's how I'm supposed to harvest potatoes but man do I love it. It's so visceral and gritty and satisfying!
One of my other favorite things in Hot Springs are the loaves of bread created by my friend Kia. I met her at the Farmers Market and my entire family fell in love with her luscious, simple, white bread. It's called Samoan Pride. When you first slice a loaf open it's hard to resist smashing your face into it because it smells like.....life. It smells like life and all that is good and makes us human. The ingredients are milk, butter, sugar, yeast, flower and salt.. It's just bread, the stuff humans have been baking and breaking for 30,000 years. But it's almost holy.
Kia and her husband are from a village called Faleasau Manu'a in American Samoa. She learned to bake bread from her dad who was a baker in the village.
Fun fact, she and her husband , Vaasaumamao met on I Saturday night and got married on Tuesday. and after 39 years are years are so obviously still in love.
I love ordering five or six loaves and delivering them to friends and clients. the smell is almost intoxicating and hard to describe. there's just something so beautiful and essential about fresh baked bread.
Today, find something you love, something simple that lifts you up maybe it's a fresh artichoke with drawn butter or a long hot bath. What ever it is take time to savor and enjoy if it's only a minute.
If you like this story about Hot Springs please check out some of my others and tell your friends! Or share it for me!
Diana