Clarity

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans. ~ Ernest Hemingway (A Moveable Feast)

Clarity
Dictionary.com defines clarity as clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding. However, in this case, I'm not just defining clarity as having an understanding of something, this type of clarity goes much deeper. This type of clarity pertains to knowing yourself or the things you want at a gut level. I'm talking about a knowing beyond knowing, a certainty like no other. Some people go their entire lives without experiencing such a thing. 

So how might one find this deep soulful knowing? Just like great basketball players or charismatic orators some people are just born with it. But most of us have to work at it. I have a friend who wanted to play football when he was in high school. The school allowed anyone who wanted to join the team, but most guys sat in the bench. My friend was one of the slowest guys when they ran drills. But then his coach shared something which has served him well throughout his life. He told his team that most people give up too easily. Whenever his guys got tired, he encouraged them to use it a cue to push on through and not give up. My friend took those words to heart. He got up early every morning and hit the track before school. He ran at lunch and after school too. Pretty soon he moved to the middle of the pack when running drills and then to the front, until he eventually made quarterback. My friend didn't stop there. He applied the simple philosophy to his schoolwork and went from a C student to an honor roll student. But the most incredible application of this came after he was hit by a drunk driver. My friend slipped into the deepest coma and wasn't expected to live. When he came out he'd not only suffered a traumatic brain injury, but broken both his legs and various other bones in multiple places. He was in extreme agonizing pain for months. Doctors told him he would never walk again. Today he not only walks, he runs marathons! The thing that gave him the clarity to know what must be done and vision to drive push on through was his simple philosophy to never get up just because he was tired.  

Meditation is also a great way to gain clarity. You don't have to sit in the lotus position with fingers ringed, invoking the perfect sound of Om. Sometimes sitting quietly is just effective. I like to lie down and count backwards from 10 to 1 taking a deep breath in and out with each number. Each time I relax a little more until I'm so mellow it wouldn't take much to fall asleep. (Be careful this can happen if you let it.) I focus my energy and somehow the world opens up and answers are found. But like my friend who never gave up, it does take a little practice!

Foods of Interest
Avocado is high in healthy fats which are said to promote clear, unclouded thoughts. The oil of avocado is also very healthy for the same reason and was used by ancient cultures to create clarity another sort through smooth clear skin. Buddha is often represented sitting under a banana tree to demonstrate the futility of life. That's because bananas don't fertilize through flowers like many plants. Instead they are sterile and simply send off another ground shoot which lives on after the original tree dies. For this reason the Chinese often leave bananas on their alters to ask for education or enlightenment at work. Blackberries are often used in Wiccan rituals to invoke the clarity of the Goddess. They are also thought to be good for healing, protection, and prosperity--all things one might need in order to have a clear mind. Sunflowers were sacred to several Greek gods including Apollo, Demeter, and Helios. Therefore their seeds were thought to carry great powers of their own bridging the distance between heaven and earth. One who ate them would certainly uncover great wisdom and clarity of mind. They were also thought to impart integrity and virtue to those who ate them. Peanut butter is often associated with masculine energy because of the phallic shape of peanut shells. Certainly they provide another super protein that aids in mental agility and clarity.  Finally red wine, the favorite drink of Dionysus is also thought to bring clarity to those who drink it. The Greeks thought it embodied the spiritual presence of their god. There's no denying wine had its place. After all it was much safer than water for a long time. And certainly those who drank too much had some unusual "moments of clarity" in which they did or tried things they never had before. Indeed such wonderful inventions as Buffalo Wings, Farrington B (those squared off numbers on your credit cards), quidditch (Harry Potter's favorite sport), Shark Week, The Marines (yes as in the armed forces), pet rocks, and Southwest Airlines were all created in bars more than a little under the influence. Isn't the world better off for them? That's true clarity!

Recipes

Shitake Sesame is the best. Photo by Erika Celeste.

Hands down my favorite oil-based salad dressing is Annie’s Shitake Sesame. I could drink this stuff...well maybe not. But I just love the flavor. I’m the kind of person who is often still hungry after just a salad, but with this dressing I’m totally satisfied and don’t feel hungry. I’m sure it’s psychological but hey it works!

For those of you not familiar with the Annie’s brand, it is all natural and organic. It can be found in most health food stores, Whole Foods, and the health food sections of many regular groceries. When I couldn’t find it at my local health food store, I talked to the manager and she special ordered three bottles for me. Pretty soon my friend went in and asked for it too. Than another friend requested it as well. It took about a year of special ordering it whenever I was out. But recently the manager told me so many people request it these days that it’s easier to stock it! However, if there’s no Annie’s Shitake Sesame available or you want to make your own dressing the following works well too.

Dressing:

½ C Olive oil

½ C Red wine

1 t Basil

1 t Rosemary

1 t Thyme

½ t Powdered garlic

Directions:

Mix olive oil and wine. Add herbs and garlic. Shake well. Immediately drizzle over salad.

Salad:

Baby spinach

Avocado

Strawberries

Sunflower seeds

Directions:

Wash and tear spinach to bite sizes. Slice avocado in half. Peel. Cut avocado in lengthwise slices. Place on spinach. Cut strawberries in quarters. Add to salad. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Drizzle with dressing.

Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed French Toast. Photo by Erika Celeste.

Ingredients:

Peanut butter

Banana

Berries

1 T sugar

2 Eggs

1 t Vanilla

¼ C Milk

Bread

butter

Directions:

Spread thick layer of peanut butter on bread slices. Close the sandwich with a top layer of bread.

In a bowl mix egg, milk, and vanilla to make eggy batter. Melt butter in a large skillet. Dunk sandwiches in the egg mixture until coated on both sides. Put sandwich in the skillet and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Slice fruit into bite-sized pieces. If necessary, sprinkle a little sugar over the top. When the french toast is finished, top with the fruit.