I recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica where I spent the day with my new friend Rosa. She exudes a quiet joy and her day is filled with celebrations. As we cozied into the colorful pillows on her couch, our hands wrapped around warm cups of mint tea, birds began to gather in the trees outside her window. She smiled and, lifting her hand, said “Listen! There is the music for us.”
Hours later, filled up from our deep conversation and lots of laughing, our tummies were calling to be fed. Rosa pointed to a basket of ripe red tomatoes she had bought at the market that morning.
Do you like gazpacho?
Yes, let’s make some!
I prepared the tomatoes while she chopped fresh basil, filling her tiny kitchen with that exhilarating green aroma. With the first tomato in my hand, a spiral of peeling fell from the knife. I slipped it onto the cutting board, drew the blade through the center, and carefully spooned out every seed. Slicing and chopping, I’m thinking “Ack, this is going to take a long time”.
Rosa glanced over, clapped her hands and with a giggle exclaimed, Lee, you don’t have to get every seed out. Just squeeze the tomatoes and have FUN with it!
In that instant, I was gobsmacked with the contrast between “getting the job done” and “having fun with what’s in front of me”. My shoulders relaxed and I felt my body shift from tight to happy. From the outside it looked like two women making lunch. Yes, the gazpacho we filled our bowls with was delicious. But I was nurtured that day by so much more than soup.
Rosa gave me a gift I will never forget. My Maiden self is always ready to play – she’s just waiting for me to invite her in.
How do you stay connected to your playful, creative Maiden within?
Love,
