[Leader]

Soup.

Spent the entire second half of this Autumnal Equinox today making soup. Yep, close to eight hours in all (not counting timeouts to admire a big ole beautiful Harvest Moon).

For me, making soup can be spiritual. From wandering the Farmer's Market, assembling the freshest organic bits, selecting the just the right ingredients that feel like this soup is becoming. I do it by feel. By touch. By smell. I find myself lost in the moment.

It sets the stage. For making the stock is the foundation that will either hold or bring it all together. Nothing can be rushed at this point. It will take as long as it takes. First, the meat and bones and base elements must be fired. Because fire brings out the savory, the memory of what it once was. Within minutes, the house is filled with succulent beef and roasting vegetables, onions and garlic emanating from the oven. I crack open the wine and turn up the music just in time so see this fully engorged moon peeking through the stand of trees on the hill across from my balcony.

The stock must simmer for hours now, pulling every bit of marrow out of the bones and releasing the full flavor from herbs that gently bob in the simmer. I inhale deeply the aromas each time i repeat this stir and taste mantra. It becomes meditative and soothing.

Kind of like my mood right now. Ruminating on the past, accepting and embracing the present and making plans for the future in my own special way for this day.

I know when the stock is done without even looking. I imagine a whispered "I'm ready" in my mind and I instinctively remove it from the fire and allow it to cool a bit. It needs to be skimmed and strained into a pure, clear broth. Made ready for the next step.

This next step is the beginning of a transformation of sorts, from a simple broth to a full and satisfying meal. And this part of the process becomes more like making love, so I don't want to rush this part at all. My hands and implements are everywhere, holding, touching, parting, exposing flesh, tasting and savoring each step along the way. There is an order to this play, and knowing the timing and reaction of each part, as well as the whole, is critical. Prodding it for more... still not hurrying, yet raising the heat with each addition, finally bringing it to a quick boil before I remove it from the fire.

I suppose I won't bore you with all of the details, but suffice it to say that in the end I can truly say that today both soul and body have been truly satiated.