Savor the past, enjoy in the present

La Bonne Vie

It’s a rainy night in Goshen, so rainy in fact that my husband can’t see “a cotton pickin’ thing” as we drive home from the park. This week and a half has been a little bit of a whirlwind and like the autumn leaves I find myself slowly falling down and finding  a good resting place.



Only two weeks ago, we left Goshen with a cold wind blowing and arrived 24 hours later in sunny Girona, Spain, where the skies are deep blue and the temperatures mild. After a couple of months of hard work, we needed a rejuvenating break in a familiar spot. With the kind of work that we do, it is hard to actually stop working if we remain in our usual residence. Since it was Jim’s birthday, Girona called us back. So from autumn in Goshen to autumn in Girona.

Our apartment there is up four flights of steps in an old building that has stood there for at least a hundred years. We like it because its windows open up onto the river Onyar and we can sit and soak in the sun and just listen to the world going on around us without moving from our breakfast table. So breakfast here can take two hours.



We watch as the sun slowly rises in the sky and shines upon the colorful houses across the river. We hear the sound of voices speaking in Spanish and Catalan as they cross the pedestrian bridges spanning the water. We sip coffee as the world around us comes to life and from it, we draw new life for ourselves. In that space and time, we truly find recreation.

Toward noon, we make our way down those flight of stairs and open the door onto that world. We walk the cobblestone streets and mingle with the pedestrians. Only a two-minute walk away, we find the bakery where we will get our bread.

To our left, a wide flight of stone stairs takes us to the next street where a small square holds small tables and some chairs. People are sitting enjoying a drink. We opt for the next flight of stairs which is narrow and beckons to us with an open arch. This passage takes us to the cathedral where another two flights of stairs open onto the entrance. We sit in the garden beside the old Roman stone wall and let the sun cleanse our minds with its brightness.



As we watch the world go by across the ocean from Goshen, we think about our life back there. We imagine what it would be like to live it here. Does living in the same space as all these old walls and buildings change the way that you see the world? Does knowing that humans have walked these same streets thousands of years ago mean anything to those walking here now? Sometimes I feel the shadow of those humans and I almost feel myself walking in their footprints and I decide that it does make a difference. I live my life more carefully when I honor those who have gone before me. I imagine not just myself but a cohort of people like myself thinking these same thoughts and living out their lives together.



So now, I’m back in Goshen. I soak in the colors of the leaves glistening in the rain like others have. I walk among the woods where others have walked. I sniff the scent of winter in the air as many have done before. And I find myself  glad to be part of a community of humans. I want to live respecting the past and looking toward the future but always aware of the present here beside me.

And it’s comforting to know that right now, in Girona, humans are doing the same. So to put myself totally back in the present, I put a seasonal dish on the menu and I include it here for you.

Creamy cabbage

and butternut squash

3. C. cabbage, sliced

3 C. butternut squash

mix:

3/4 C. heavy cream

2 beaten eggs

1 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. paprika

1 C. shredded parmesan cheesse

Grease a casserole dish. Put the cabbage and squash in it. Pour over liquid mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

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