Happy Spring, Friends! Are you looking forward to Spring? I know I sure am. My internal life seems to match what nature is doing. New growth, changing seasons, clearer skies, longer days, and coming out of the hibernation that I often embrace in the Winter months. So, I thought I’d share what I’ve been enjoying! And I call it my Spring Favorites…
For The Leaders…
The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmonson is a research-thick book that makes it credible and sound. It is based on her work around Psychological Safety she introduced to the world years ago. She revisits the efficacy of Psychological Safety in the spaces that we live and work in. I appreciate her ability to take challenging concepts and make it applicable to people working hard to influence their worlds for good.
For The Foodies…
Winter months can pack on a couple of pounds with shorter days, yummy comfort foods, holiday goodies—and well worth it, I might add. No shame—but I often find myself craving more fresh produce and veggies as Winter fades into Spring. Here are some recent favorites that my husband and I have been gobbling up!
Cabbage Roll Soup – We LOVED this one and made extra to heat up for lunch. So nurturing!
Celery Salad – This recipe has a lot of chopping, but it is so worth it! Plus it only got yummier after a couple of days in the fridge. We FELT healthier with each bite.
Veggies with Baked Feta – I found this recipe associated with Blue Zone health areas, and I was immediately intrigued. We loved this one as well, and it super easy to make. Use any veggies and feta with your favorite spices and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. We tried it first with broccoli, onions, golden potatoes, and some garlic. Drizzled with olive oil and spices. And it was delicious! You can even blend it up into a soup, but we opted to eat it like a charcuterie board to enjoy all the flavors. I’ll be making this again, especially with veggies I want to use up.
For The Readers…
As many of you know, my faith is important to me, and with the privilege of age comes new questions. Here are three books that have inspired and impacted how I engage with my faith.
Mary Magdelene Revealed by Meggan Watterson did a beautiful job integrating the feminine into the Christian faith and through credible research educated me on the life of Mary Magdelene, and how she has influenced the Christian faith. Here’s how it is described, “Mary’s gospel reveals a radical love that sits at the heart of the Christian story. Her gospel says that we are not sinful; we are not to feel ashamed or unworthy for being human. In fact, our purpose is to be fully human, to be a ‘true human being’- that is, a person who has remembered that, yes, we are a messy, limited ego, and we are also a limitless soul.” I loved it so much, I had a book club around it. It made for delightful discussions that influenced and enlightened.
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr is a great book to read for the second half of life. How we view ourselves and where we find ourselves in the second half of life is so vastly different than the first half of life. Rohr does a great job of giving context and words for things we are feeling but not quite understanding. His gentle, humble way of teaching is so comforting.
Sacred Earth Sacred Soul by John Phillip Newell is inspirational because this read is grounded in ancient Celtic wisdom. It reminded me of our soul’s ability to trust the inner intuition and the goodness we all hold. As well as the natural ability of our soul to connect with the Divine in sacred ways aligned with nature. A poignant read that felt like a sacred walk through an ancient forest and helped me feel connected to nature and the origins of my faith centuries ago.
New (And Old) Habits
Last but not least, I’ve brought back meditation again. You know those awesome habits that greatly helped, but somehow fell off the radar? This is meditation for me. I used to meditate for 20 minutes daily and noticed how much it centered me. But alas, life gets busy, and I stopped doing the very things that helped me. So, I’m bringing it back. I use the app “Centering Prayer” because it allows me to choose the times I need to meditate when I’m running short or want to do it longer. As well, it has beautiful music to signal start and stop, and prayers to take into the meditation. I’m already loving the clarity it is giving me.
So, that’s a little of what I’ve been up to, and some of my spring favorites. I hope it helps you in your journey of always leveling up. Keep joining the conversations on my podcast as we discuss how Good Guides influence how we live and lead!
As usual, cheering you on!