Finding the right ingredients to grow

Looking at these lovely purple-blue flowers in the crack between these paving slabs, I could not help but wonder what special ingredients enabled this plant to grow.

Admittedly, it took me walking past this exact spot three times before I stopped and took a picture.

Still the simple beauty in such seemingly harsh conditions was clear.

One part of me felt compelled to rescue this plant – pull it out and replant it in M’s garden, but I stopped myself.

If nature places a plant somewhere, why should I decide there was a better place for it to grow.

Harsh conditions – limited water and soil, lots of traffic from people, cars and animals; still so far it has survived being trampled.

When I finally reworked Naked Baking after a six month hiatus, this growth reality hit home.

What started off as a tribute to my grandmother’s love of baking and cooking became my own way of dealing with loss.

Loss of self, loss of love, loss of loved ones.

I felt very much like a tiny seed that had fallen into the cracks between two very hard places. Career woman and mom.

To survive I felt more and more squeezed until the very parts of me that I loved about myself, got squeezed out.

Still the reality of survival is that we grow to survive.

Able to flower despite the difficult situations and emotions we face.

To do this I realised, we have to accept who, what and where we are.

Then focus on what we do or can do more of to flower.

It is only a tiny plant growing in a crack between two paving stones you may think.

However that tiny plant with its daisy-like purple-blue flowers made me notice it, smile and walk back to take a picture.

The lessons I learn in M’s Kitchen are valuable, some are about practise, most are about letting yourself feel and process.

Above all the lessons from M’s Kitchen are about trust.

Trust in yourself, trust in your senses, trust in nature and the very real beauty of creation.