When the fishermen can’t go to sea, they mend their nets.
This was a caption to the photo above from one of my favorite instagram accounts @lovetravel_india.
It’s a beautiful image and a useful metaphor for life right now. There’s a Greek word - katartidzo - which means to repair, mend, prepare, or restore. We, as a global collective, are in many stages of not being able to go out to sea. But we all have a valuable opportunity to stay home and mend our nets.
There is the sea of work and school of course, but also the sea of graduations, funerals, and weddings that we’re missing out on too. The seemingly lesser seas, gatherings at restaurants or even meeting a friend for a smoothie, are still seas we are being denied right now. Those small things, the lesser seas, they stack up into big huge oceans of things we can not do. It’s sobering. Depressing even.
Just as seas take on many forms in this metaphor, the nets take on many forms too. Is there something that has been staring you down these last two months of isolation that you’ve avoided? A quick-fix task or a dreaded long project? A deep confession or apology that is keeping you from peaceful sleep?
I have friends mending marriages while they quarantine together. I have friends addressing old patterns in relationships that weren’t working for them. I love that that Greek word katartidzo includes preparing and restoring, not just fixing obvious broken things or darning holes in socks (or actual nets.)
So many of us are restoring our health and fitness with workouts and food choices. We are doing everything we can to stay safe now (the masks, the social distancing, the hand sanitizer) to maintain our wellness for when we’re all finally able to be together again.
At 7pm all the boroughs of Manhattan stop what they’re doing and cheer. We honk horns, clap outside our windows, hoot and holler, and bang pots in appreciation for all of the healthcare and essential workers getting us through the crisis. These are the hands of my downstairs neighbor. I cry every night when I hear his little pot lid cymbal in this celebratory gesture.
I know initially there was a lot of pressure for novels to be written, closets to be cleaned, musical compositions to be birthed, languages and skills to be learned during the stay at home weeks. It was an ambitious and cruel someone who planted those seeds of what we should be doing with our time.
The amount of productivity over these last two months looks different for all of us. Maybe some of us DID all of those things and that is amazing. Brag and be proud! May those successes stay with you long after this pandemic is over. And may we all celebrate you in person one day soon!
But for those of us that maybe aren’t finding productivity easy, or feeling that inspiration and motivation are hiding from us, that’s ok too. Don’t compare yourself to your neighbor who is kicking ass. Remember his seas and nets are not your seas and nets.
No matter where we fall on the spectrum, it’s not too late nor is it a missed opportunity. That ship has not sailed! Take some time this week and really clarify what you miss the most: where you want to go, who you want to see, things you want to eat or smell or hear. Imagine your future self enjoying the person, place, or thing. Go to that scenario in your mind every day and give the experience value. That is your sea. It’s waiting for you. It’s missing you too.
I invite you to also think about your nets and what holes they may have. Some nets have big easy-to-see holes, but what about the little tiny things we avoid or neglect that create little tiny holes in our net, like messy closets or unorganized spice drawers. Those little holes let the the things we want, the good stuff, escape and swim away. Email inboxes that need cleaned out. Phone calls and texts that need answered. Thank you notes sent. Think about the little things. Give them value too. And then one by one start with the easy tasks. (Perhaps an email or spice drawer…) That will give momentum to tackle something bigger and give you confidence to face the bigger thing that’s been staring you down. (Like the confession or apology or communication habit or bias or…)
Because here’s the thing, we will all eventually be going back out to sea.
And we’re going to have to bring our nets with us... mended or not. These fixes, these small restorations, mended habits, organizations - they are going to make this whole thing worth while.
We’re going to emerge with stronger nets and a greater appreciation for the sea.
I, like many, bought a bunch of dried beans when all of this began. They were ridiculously cheap, and I knew they would last a long time if I didn’t use them right away. Growing up, my mom loved the crockpot. As a teacher with no spare time to think about mealtime, she’d fill the crockpot in the morning and we’d come home to a hearty warm meal.
I can’t believe how stunning these are. It’s like God took a paintbrush and individually decorated each bean. Never mind that once the beans cook they turn brown and the design vanishes. Just a gift of beauty for no reason… I could go on. Thanks, Magic Bean Painter of the universe!
Often it was beans and New Mexican red chili, something right out of my mom’s childhood. I, like many, am missing family right now, especially my mom, so to honor her I made a tribute pot of beans. Eating those beans as a kid always made me think about my Grandma Rose and her mom , my Great-Grandmother Senaida. They grew the chilis, strung them into ristras to dry, and then ground them into chili powder to put into enchiladas and beans. I found spicy diced canned tomatoes and my friend Robert sent me some of his green chili seasoning from Colorado. These beans taste like a spicy bowl of home and family history. Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, especially Little Rita.
Mend your nets and cook your beans everybody!
Spicy Slow Cooker Beans
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes, look for the spicy ones! or add in some minced jalapeños
1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed well
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green chili seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
You know the phrase ‘Set it and forget it?’ Normally that’s how I slow cook, but with beans you don’t always know how old they are or what finessing they might need, so I hovered every few hours. Put everything in a slow cooker and after you empty the cans of tomatoes fill each can with water and add that in too (and it also gets all the extra tomato out of the can!) Stir to combine, put the lid on and set the cooker to low for 8 hours. Walk away. Mend some nets :) After 4 hrs, mine needed more water. Add enough to cover everything. After 6 hrs taste for seasoning and if the beans are cooked. Add more of whatever it needs. Mine needed salt. By about 7.5 my beans were perfect. But you might need the whole 8 or more.
