I found a sweet potato in my pantry this morning. It was wrinkled and soft around one edge, on its way to sweet potato heaven. The other side was firm and ready to be enjoyed. I thought, “What can I do with this sweet potato?”
Then, I remembered the frozen turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. Soup seemed like a good idea.
So, I peeled the firm part of the potato and sliced it. I put it into the pot with the frozen turkey carcass. I added a few carrots that were also on their way to carrot heaven, a tomato that was a little wrinkled on the top and the dried rosemary and thyme that I had saved from the fresh rosemary and thyme on Thanksgiving. Then came an onion and lots of kosher salt, fresh pepper and fresh parsley. Water was added to absorb all of the flavors and make a rich broth. It is simmering now. It will be lovely along with some good Parmesan Reggiano and some broken pasta and a toasted slice of bread with fresh olive oil. Ahhh… bliss.
Finding the good properties and possibilities within a vegetable that looks on the outside like it is “done” is like finding the smoothness that lives below the rough exterior of ourselves. We are all a little rough around the edges, protecting the vulnerability of our hearts and holding close to security. There might be a new idea just waiting for us to peel back the layers of resistance that keep it locked inside.
Collaborating with others is the mingling of the vegetables in the soup. But the carcass, the body, has the flavor. Especially in the bones that hold the marrow, that hold the softness and the depth. We are our marrow. We are our depth. We have our own distinct flavor.
You might want to think about what is stored within you and what needs to be mingled with other components to create a true flavor. What is ready for thought heaven? Send it up. You will make room for the new that may be a great combo with the seasoned ideas that are just hanging around. And then you will find the perfect blend, conceptually and creatively, to incorporate it and share it with others.
Like the soup that started with the wrinkled sweet potato and the will to rebirth its value, you will reveal a whole new purpose and possibility within yourself. Like the sweet potato, you may be onto something, but halfway there.
Utilize the richer half and take a cue from the half that has transitioned on. Use the good stuff, discard the rest.
Blend, simmer, season and serve. All of us. With who you are.
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Thank you Ellen for this poetic exploration into examining my hidden potential and your encouraging nudge to open to it up.