A trail runs along the creek in my neighborhood, and the dogs and I walk with its flow several times each day. One day this past week, as we made our way along the well-worn path, I was (as I often am) lost in thought … about who-knows-what … the monkey-mind swinging from thought-tree to thought-tree. Our footsteps shuffled through the fine gravel. All was still.
Until in a moment, the hush broke with the resounding trumpeting of two sandhill cranes. They floated in on silent wings, and gave no hint of their presence until they were directly overhead. And no more than 100 feet overhead at that. No cry is more distinct, more primal, more primordial. Its raw power sent me hurtling back down to earth from the land of daydreams. It demanded that I hear. That I be here. That I wake to the world wakening around me during this season of rebirth.
I love the four seasons: the winter dark giving way to the green haze of spring; summer’s heat and abundance ceding to the golden light and crisp of autumn. The continuous transition and evolution, succession and cycling, as we circle around the sun.
Just this week, snows gave way to leaflets emerging.
The daffodil heads are in full bob and the fuschias and oranges and lavenders of tulips color the beige-scape.
Spring brings many things.
The Return of the Robin. The Emergence of the Earthworm. The Song of the Sandhill.
In celebration of the breakfast transition from hearty porridges to meals lighter and refreshing, I paid homage to an old Santa Barbara favorite, Backyard Bowls. This is my version of their Diego’s Power Bowl. I could eat it every day!
Ingredients:
4-oz packet unsweetened, frozen acai ½ banana (preferably frozen) 2 T peanut butter 3-6 T coconut milk (or other milk)
Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend.
Start with 3 T coconut milk, and add additional milk 1 T at a time if needed. The consistency will quickly go from spoon-worthy to smoothie, so it’s best to be conservative with the liquid (especially if the banana is not frozen).
Pour the acai mixture into a bowl and top with sliced fresh fruit, granola, and hemp seeds.
Enjoy!
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