“Spicing things up” has many connotations. It can mean transforming your mundane life with new adventures, opening yourself up to new and delightful tastes of all kinds. Why not cast tradition to the wind (along with the rules), or maybe just taking a chance on something new?
As we get older, life has a way of thinning out people, relationships, health and stamina, and that spark of adventure we once carried easily. It now dims if we let it. Recently, I could see it in my friends, both men and women were getting complacent. I even saw myself falling into that state of mind.
I have a dear friend who says she enjoys planning things more than actually doing them. I thought about that and said not me. I personally am finding I am ready to take on some new adventures in my personal life. I am feeling restless. No, I do not mean bungee jump off a bridge, climb a mountain, or sleep alone in the wilderness.
I want to stretch my imagination. I want to develop my artistic capabilities. I want to become a better writer. I want to experience magic and passion with a companion or two. “I want to spice up my life. If not now, when?”
If Not Now, When?
This is the year of the Chinese symbol the “Fire Horse.” It is said to be a year of chaos, transformation, and bold shifts. I am choosing to take that as a sign, a nudge or maybe a wink. I feel it is the moment to re-evaluate what thrills me, what feeds my soul, and what I want to invite into my life now.
And for those of you who prefer “spicing up” in the literal sense, I have included a playful tip sheet you can flavor up your meals with. But I am after more than a dash of cayenne or a sprinkle of cinnamon. I’m curious. I am open and ready to liven up everything — my days, my creativity, my connections, and my sense of wonder.
So tell me — are you spicing up your life too? If not now, when?
A Treasure That Only a Few Knew Was There
Just about ten miles north of Bardstown, down a quiet country road in New Haven, sits the Abbey of Gethsemani — a working Trappist monastery where monks keep a vow of silence and have made their famous fruitcake and cheese since the 1800s. Most folks drive right past without a clue that something even rarer is tucked back in the woods: Thomas Merton’s hermitage.
Merton was a world-famous monk, poet, and rebel who wrote “The Seven Storey Mountain” and turned a quiet life of prayer into the literary event of the 1940s. In 1965 he finally won permission to build a one-room hermitage on the abbey grounds — a little white house with a deep porch and rocking chairs — and became the first monk there in centuries to live as a hermit. He never quite got the silence he was after; he snuck phone calls, drank beer with guests, and traveled the world. He died in 1968, far from home, and the hermitage still stands, still used by a monk today.
It is the monks’ private enclosure, so you ask politely to be escorted. But stand on that porch for a minute and you will feel it — a whole life of questions, kept in the Kentucky woods, that almost nobody knew was there.
The Spice Rack: Spices Make Everything Nice
A playful tip sheet to flavor up your meals — and maybe your life.
Cayenne
10× stronger than a jalapeño with a strong, spicy hit. A spark of heat — like a Latin lover who convinces you to look at recipes together and maybe try one that scares you a little.
Cloves
Intense (a little goes a long way), aromatic, but slightly bitter. The spice of holidays and memory — celebrate any night as if it’s special.
Cinnamon
Pungent, sweet, and warming. A blush-inducing sweetness warms your cheeks and your mood.
Ginger
Sweet while slightly spicy and peppery. A little sweet, a little wild — perfect for setting the mood where rules don’t count.
Vanilla
Sweet aroma with a steady smoky taste. Comforting and familiar, like a safe arm around your shoulder when you need grounding.
Star Anise
Warm, sweet and licorice-like. A gentle invitation to slow the morning with coffee in bed.
Cardamom
Pungent with lemon and mint hints. Bright and surprising, like fine Bourbon cocktails shared with someone who makes you laugh.
Nutmeg
Nutty with a hint of heat. Cozy and intimate — perfect for nestling under a warm blanket.
Allspice
Warm and strong combo of clove & cinnamon. A reminder that too much of a good thing can be deliciously dangerous.