My sister and I were in South Carolina earlier this summer. We were touring a historic plantation house and there was a peacock wandering the grounds. Peacocks appear to be SO unnatural, like something not to be found in nature. And yet, I think I’ve seen more peacocks in the wild in India than anywhere else. This makes sense because the history of the Peacock begins in India.
Peacocks are far and away my favorite bird. Not only because they’re stunning and their tail feathers blossom into that surprise party trick. (Does anyone remember the year I was a peacock for Halloween?!) Peacocks are my favorite because of their confidence. My fitness coach, Gina, would call it Deep Inner Self Belief.
The peacock we saw in South Carolina could be heard from all corners of the property. From acres and acres away, it was like he was calling out for us to come find him. Whatever we were looking at was nothing compared to the show he was going to put on.
As we got closer to the sound, there he was, with his feathers falling in a dull brown grey train behind him. Squawking away like a drowning cat, or almost like a carny barker. “Step right up! Move in closer, folks!”
Mr. Peacock literally waited for a crowd to gather. He wasn’t wasting a single turquoise-eyed inner feather glimpse until he was completely surrounded. And then out of nowhere it was like someone pulled a magic string and his feathers fanned out into their technicolor shimmering curtain. We all collectively ooohed and aaahed.
Most of the crowd gave him space, he seemed a little angry, I think his audience was afraid to see what a grumpy peacock might do. So they snapped their photos from a safe distance and went on their merry way.
I, on the other hand, stepped in closer. I wanted the super great capture with my camera and I knew he wanted to give it to me. I swear that bird did a ballet promenade so I could see every angle. It was like he was posing just for me, knowing I’d make good on my photos. And here they ARE, in All Good Things! Thank you, Mr.Peacock.
It’s like the universe whispers into the soul of a peacock,
“You are special.”
“You are beautiful.”
“You are enough.”
“You are on purpose.”
NO FILTER, I mean look at him! He looks like a painting.
And so he makes his iridescent blue-gold-purple-green feathers into a fan and struts. He preens. He has something to say. He wants to be seen. Deep Inner Self Belief. I love him. I love him because he reminds me to love myself.
About the time of my South Carolina trip, I’d experienced a setback in my career. Setbacks are temporarily paralyzing because our ego takes the biggest hit. The parts of us that dream and know we’ll be okay, the parts that are motivated and inspired — they all sit there useless, while the ego has a pity party.
I’ll be honest, I indulged my ego and have done very little to get back up on the horse to continue the ride into my dreams. All my hard work seemed pointless. I knew there were things I could do and I chose to wallow and give value to the setback. Boooo. Hisss.
And then I read the words of my dear Gina about Deep Inner Self Belief.
Get you a coach who will squeeze you like this!
“How to recognize if you have that DISB is if you’re working really, really hard at something that you haven’t necessarily seen the reward that you want to see from it and you KEEP GOING.
If you invest enough self belief it will pay off. Others will see it. Changes will happen. Goals will be met. Your own personal history will be made.”
Ummmm. Gina reminded me I’m a peacock. I am confident. I have worked really hard, I just need to keep going. And I need to retune my ears to hear the whispers of the universe;
“You are special.”
“You are beautiful.”
“You are enough.”
“You are on purpose.”
Perhaps you all don’t have a Gina when the chips are down. So Mr. Peacock and I are here to remind you that you have something to say. You want to be seen and you’ve worked really hard. So keep squawking! Keep fanning your feathers at the crowd. Reinvest in your own Deep Inner Self Belief. Your own personal history will be made.
In paying tribute to my own personal history and a company that believes in me, I’m featuring Stoneridge Orchards and their dried blueberries. I’ve seen, smelled, and tasted those baby blues up close and personal straight from the farm. Let me tell you, they’re show offs like peacocks. The blue, gold, and green colors of this recipe echo peacock feathers too!
Blueberry Farro Salad
This is a perfect room temperature picnic dish or a back to school potluck offering for a teacher. It’s a light side dish for dinner using up end of summer produce. Or an easy WFH lunch served over arugula.
1 cup cubed sweet potato
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 cups cooked farro (rice,quinoa or another grain would work too)
1 cup corn sliced off the cob (2 corn cobs)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/2cup Stoneridge Orchards dried blueberries
4 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat with cooking spray. Toss the sweet potato cubes in 1 Tablespoon olive oil until coated, spread onto a sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Combine the vinegar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl to make a vinaigrette. Add the dried blueberries and let them soak up the dressing for about 10 minutes.
Prepare the farro or other grain according to package directions while the potatoes are roasting. Add the corn, tomatoes, avocado, cooked potatoes. Stir in the blueberry vinaigrette and gently toss everything together. This salad is good at room temperature or served cold.
