I’ve been waiting to spill the beans for over a month, but what with the holidays, and vacation, and the gogogo! that life can be, it’s taken me a little while to set aside time to have a heart to heart with you.
But don’t let that throw you off- I’m about to burst from the seams with excitement! Why? Because for the first time in my life, I really, really know what I want to do with my life. I’m 25 and have been out of college for almost four years. Many of my friends are well settled into their careers, and many more are struggling to pinpoint how they might want to spend the productive hours of the day. People always tell us that adolescence and high school will be hard, but I’m slowly learning that our 20s can be a real challenge, too. From picking a job, to dating around, to deciding where to live, there’s so much to figure out! It’s tempting to want to get under the covers and stay there until life has sorted itself out, and part of me used to wish someone else would make all the big decisions for me. Won’t things be better when I’m settled, and married, and know how everything works out? It was like I was waiting for “real life” to start. And where’s the fun in that? Then it hit me: this is real. There’s not necessarily an “end point” where you can sit back and know that all of the work is over. Once I accepted that, my anxiety melted away. Literally. One day I went to bed and woke up the next morning feeling calm and clear.
So, this is a long and winded way to announce that this coming Monday, I’m going back to school to get my Masters of Social Work. It was something I wanted to do in high school, when I was volunteering regularly with a nearby homeless population. It took a few different career trials (publishing, physical therapy, many restaurant gigs, temping) to figure out how passionately I want to do this. It’s going to be hard, and the coming months will be extremely busy. But I’m happy. Really and truly.
In honor of this, I wanted to share a recipe with you that is sure to make you feel cozy and warm. It’s very simple- only 5 ingredients, most of which you may already have at home. Sit back. Relax. Curl up with a good book.
I first tried Gold Milk last May when we were staying in Portland, Maine, for a week. There was a little coffee stall inside of a market collective called the Public Market House, and, like cafes do, it drew me in. It was the late afternoon, and I was waiting for B to finish work for the day. I wanted something hot and comforting, but I have a rule that I don’t drink coffee after 3 so I don’t disrupt my sleep schedule. Anyway, I saw this “gold milk” on the menu, sampled it, and fell in love. I’ve been meaning to recreate ever since, and saw a variation for it on Facebook just the other day. It’s filled with warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and a nice pinch of turmeric to ease inflammation. And the color! Pure gold.
GOLD MILK
Serves 1
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
6 cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-cup milk of choice
1 tsp maple syrup
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring the liquid to the boiling point, but NOT to boil. Stir occasionally so the milk doesn’t scorch. Remove from heat, and strain out cardamom pods. Serve and enjoy!
