Have I become a hippie?

When I was a kid I was the nerd. You know, the shy girl who would rather read a book than party? As I got older I dreamt of having a job that would allow me to live downtown in a big city and travel the world. I dreaded the work in the garden because it took away from my book reading and movie going. I wanted to be an urban girl. I was always on e fringe though, dressing differently and curious about ideas that were not necessarily popular. My parents were liberal and they worked freelance; I wanted the stability of a “normal” life. .

Well, so much for that. The closest I got to a normal job was working for a big hotel and resort chain, but in hospitality there are no normal schedules. The last big city I lived in was Vancouver and that was 16 years ago. I live on the outskirts of a town next to a vineyard and an orchard, with two garden plots, a little greenhouse and enough flowers to choke a horse. I married a chef, and we talk of the fate of food, not the fashion trends. We are home bodies, not city folks. I’m just as comfy in my tights, a T-shirt and a pair of duck shoes as I am in a flowing dress, but the suits I imagined wearing don’t exist in my wardrobe. Some of my friends say I’m a hippie.

Is that so bad? I saw an article about the 25th anniversary of Earth Day coming up next week and it made me think of where I was at back then. I was running a bike shop in Calgary and thinking I was being a responsible citizen of the world, until I got to talking to some folks who were really into “getting down with Mother Nature”. I remember feeling like I should do more, I should live with that in mind. I got caught up in everyday life of course and it wasn’t a focused priority in my life for  a while. But I did live in a national park, which made me more aware of our connection to the environment; I also lived in rural Quebec, where people were more concerned with just making a living than saving the whole world. I suppose I gained a better perspective of the bigger picture as I got older. I like to know I am doing my small part in keeping the bees happy with my flowers and reducing my garbage by making compost. I feel good supporting the local farmers and eating real food. Apparently that has made me a hippie. I’m okay with that. I know it makes my mom smile to see her straight-laced daughter become a hippie much like her.

So, in honour of Earth Day, I’d like to share a recipe I got from a friend back in the 90’s. This was long before the advent of coconut oil and grains advertised as GMO free, but there were still people looking to live a pure life. Dave Zen’s Orbit Oatmeal Cookies will make you feel better, I’m sure. Maybe you’ll see things more clearly. Real food can be powerful stuff, you know. 

Namaste.