I have spices now. One of my favorite friends took me on a field trip to Savory Spice shop this week. She had never been, and she knew I need to stock up, so it was somewhat mutually beneficial, but I reaped the most reward. Not only did I replace my supply of herbs and spices, but I also had the benefit of her care and advice. She seemed to know that, since it had been six weeks since our house burned down and we lost our sweet dogs, I thought it was time to be okay and assured me it was not. She’s no stranger to navigating grief, so her counsel holds a lot of weight. Also, her delivery cuts right to the point and with compassion and humor. Once again, I find myself in awe of the rich friendships I’ve been blessed with.
Not being the spice enthusiast I am, she found it particularly amusing, hilarious even, that the first thing I reached for was a jar of whole Grenada nutmeg. She said something like, “You have nothing (in the way of spices), and this is the first thing you get,” then asked me how I use it. I explained that freshly grated nutmeg is really important if you’re making a bechamel or even just homemade mac and cheese for your family. She raised her eyebrows, smiled, and nodded, stopped short of patting me on the head, and we moved on with our shopping. She was a little overwhelmed by the selection; I was in my element.
It got me thinking, what’s your whole Grenada nutmeg? What creature-comforts make you feel most like you? I felt a lot better after lining my cupboard with the spices I need to make my favorite recipes. I still don’t feel like cooking much, but that will come back. (I may be a little depressed, it would be weird if I weren’t). I’m interested in your feedback here, though, because I think it’s cool to recognize what makes us all tick. You might even be surprised when you ask yourself the question.
What creature comforts do I need to get back to myself when I’ve lost everything, or I’m simply feeling lost?
Aside from proper spices, mine include warm socks, strong coffee, a really nice purse, and quality skincare products, to name a few. After the fire, these were among the first things I replaced.
Much love to you as we enter Valentine’s week. If you want an actual recipe and a really sweet Ella story, check out this Love Day post.
My comforts: A prime dip sandwich, really long drives listening to my favorite music, big sweatshirts, and writing- something I need to get back into! Love you auntie <3
Love it! And love you too, niecey 🙂 .
This is a hard question, Molly, because when I imagine losing everything, my mind goes into a state of confusion. When the confusion cleared enough to imagine what I would turn to for comfort I saw myself buying a literal comforter – filled with down. And pulling it over my head where I’d envelope myself in warmth and try to forget what happened. I’ve never had a whole nutmeg, and now I want to make Mac and cheese with fresh grated nutmeg. Ultimate comfort food, right?
It’s true, I couldn’t get enough of being wrapped in a blanket for at least the first week after the fire!
Try the whole nutmeg! It’s easy to store and fun to grate with a microplane – really elevates the mac and cheese 🙂
Loved this post — creature comforts always make me feel balanced when life is crazy. I love my fresh ginger (whether using it for tea or comfort foods like homemade butternut squash soup), tea infuser for cold days and nights, raw honey for tea and warm beverages and warm, fuzzy blanket on my bed when I curl up and read or fall asleep after a long day.
Fresh ginger is wonderful! I love it too :). And tea is always so soothing. Thanks for sharing, Molly!
A hot bath and a good book that I can get lost in makes any bad day better. Glad to hear that you are getting some of your creature comforts back :-).
I really love a hot bath and a good book too! Thanks, Laurie.