Romancing The Present . . .

“There is only the moment. The now. Only what you are experiencing at this second is real. This does not mean you live for the moment. It means you live the moment.” ~Leo Buscaglia

“We all cling to the past or long for the future, making us unavailable to the present.” ~Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

How many of us do that . . . spend our days thinking about what we are going to do when our ship comes in or dreaming about the summer holiday that is awaiting us several months ahead, or worse yet . . . worrying about what is going to happen in the future if this or that takes place??? When we spend all our days worrying about or worshipping what may or may not be tomorrow, or in regret of the past or what has already been, we risk losing our today.

I may look like a dawdler when I walk to and home from work each day. I walk rather slowly, and I try to take in each moment of the journey, each step of the way. My eyes and ears are ever alert to all that is happening around me. Nothing escapes my watchfulness and my life has been blessed tenfold by the observation of something even as minute as a small feather caught up in a branch of the hedgerow which borders the small lane that leads down to our cottage. If I listen very carefully I often can hear a woodpecker off in the distance hammering away and indeed, it will not be long now before I hear the distant tell tale sound of the cuckoo, which really heralds the arrival of spring.

I breathe in the air about me. Some days it smells fresh and clean, especially after a rain . . . other’s there is the tell tale smell of wood smoke in the air, especially if it has been a cold night . . . then I know that they have had a fire burning in one of the many fireplaces up at the big house, and I think to myself . . . how wonderful.

As I walk home in the dusk at the end of a day, I can hear the birds twittering away as they get ready to bed down for the night. I can almost hear the mother birds cajoling the wee ones into the nest, nagging and making sure that they have brushed their teeth and taken their baths before they settle in. Oh, I know that is a fanciful thought, and that birds really don’t have teeth, but I do like to imagine it so. Sometimes on a summer night the air is filled with the whoosh of bats as they come out in the dusk, playing out their magical aerial ballet over my head . . . their day is only beginning as ours is starting to wane. I love to look up at the darkening sky and see the branches of the trees in relief against it. It is a pattern that changes with the seasons . . . right now it is all bare branches and the odd errant dry leaf . . . leftover from the autumn, dry and wrinkled and stubborn. Soon it will be unfurling buds and then a cacophony of leaf. They make such pretty patterns against the dusky sky. The colours of the sky are magical ranging from deep purple to reds and golds, all depending on the day we have had.

I guess it is age that has taught me to relish every moment and squeeze it for all the delight that it holds . . . even the tears. Although I am not a really old woman yet, I am old enough to know the sting of regret and the pain of should have’s and did not’s. You cannot change the past, nor can you predict the future. All we have is the here and the now . . . and if you make the here and the now the very best that you can . . . if you be the very best person that you can be right now . . . if you make the very wisest choices and decisions that you can make today . . . if you cherish every moment for what it is and who it is and where it is . . . then the future will take care of itself.

Let it be. . . Live now.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” ~Matthew 6:25-26

Here’s a tasty dish that is not only delicious but very low in fat and calories. This is for all you people out there who are watching their weight!

*Barbeque Pork With Mop Sauce*

Serves 6 Printable Recipe

Wonderfully lean pork filet covered in a deliciously spicy rub and then roasted in the oven just until done, so that it is moist and flavourful, this dish is a real winner. I love the tangy spiciness of the sauce which accompanies it. Any leftovers make a delicious hot sandwich when shredded and heated in any leftover sauce.

2 TBS dark soft brown sugar

1 TBS paprika

1 TBS mild chili powder

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pork tenderloin fillets (1 ½ pounds), trimmed of all visible fat

For the Sauce:

1/3 cup tomato ketchup

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 TBS molasses

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Pre-heat your oven to 230*C/450*F. Line a baking tray with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Rub half of the mixture into and all over the pieces of pork. Let stand for 15 minutes.

At the end of the 15 minutes rub the pork with the remaining spice mixture. Place on the baking tray and bake it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, until just done. (this all depends on the thickness of your pork. It may take longer or shorter time) The end result will be beautifully moist pork, just pink in the middle, which is perfectly acceptable. ( Any more done than that and it is too dry. Most people overcook their pork) A meat thermometer will register an internal temperature of 71*C/160*F.

Make the sauce while the pork is roasting. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn the heat down to very low and keep it warm while the meat cooks.

Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into 12 thickesh slices. Serve with the sauce.