RIGHT NOW! Right, Now! :)

Given my Vata-Pitta Dosha with a frequent Vata imbalance (i.e. air and space element in one's system/nature that makes one forgetful and confused if out of balance, but creative and spiritual when in balance) I am often constantly on the run and busy doing several things at once. In any given moment, I often feel like doing three different things - cooking, playing with my little baby girl and working on my PhD! Meera usually wins the tug of war in my mind and has all my attention. UNLESS I need to cook for HER! :) After quickly distracting her with her favorite toys, I run into the kitchen to prepare her meal which I know she will demand rather loudly very soon. But now that Meera knows that she can get my attention just by being naughty or by coming running to me crying, her toys don't interest her for too long :(

A few days ago, as the above routine was repeating itself for perhaps the 100th time, I got really frustrated! I looked at Meera tugging at my trousers while I was trying to cook up her favorite dinner and said "Meera, you know that mom is busy doing stuff just for you right? Then why cant you just relax and wait a few moments? What you need is coming right your way - food AND all of mom's attention (while she feeds you)! But Meera continued crying and demanding that she be picked up RIGHT NOW. I finally gave up and tied her around me in the baby carry system. This made her happy, but slowed down my work in the kitchen considerably! As expected, soon enough, Meera started crying again! She was hungry. She wanted the half cooked dinner NOW! As I tried to pacify her that the food was almost done, a thought occurred to me - isn't this what we all do so often? Cry and cry for things that we want RIGHT NOW without realising that nature is probably preparing something better for us already... If only we would be patient!

I remember Guruji saying once that just like a mom arranges all the toys around her kids to distract them (so she can take care of the "other" things that need her attention around the house), God or nature arranges all the beautiful things around human beings to "distract" them. But just like the mom has one ear only for her baby, Nature is constantly listening - it provides us exactly what we need when we start crying... and often, well before that! :) Once when I was in a particularly low phase in my life (long story - left for another blog post) due to unexpected and shocking things happening one after the other in my life, I went crying to Guruji.

He said in his usual loving but firm style - "you have nothing to worry about. Look back and see, haven't all your wishes always come true? You will do everything you want to do (notwithstanding the circumstances)!" I did look back and realised that this was so true! All our (good) wishes do come true - All we have to do is be patient - everything we need for our growth (spiritual or material) is on its way and will reach us at the perfect time. :D

Today's patient recipe: Mung Beans in Coconut Curry Sauce

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings)

1 cup Mung beans (whole green Mung beans)
1/2 cup coconut milk
5-6 curry leaves - chopped (not fine - just chop each leaf into 2 or 3 parts)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 inch piece of ginger - grated
1 green chilli - chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
4-5 cups water
3 tablespoons Cooking Oil

1/2 lemon
10-12 Fresh coriander leaves

Method

Soak the mung beans in 5 times the amount of water (i.e. 5 cups or more) overnight. Drain the water, add four to five cups of fresh water and pressure cook till the beans are cooked. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook it the regular way on low flame - it will just take a little longer... usually around 45 mins) Add the coconut milk, ginger and salt to the cooked lentils and set aside.

In a separate pan (maybe a small frying pan or tadka pan), heat the oil. Put in the cumin seeds. Once they start making a small sizzling sound, reduce the flame to minimum and add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, and chopped green chilli. Stir gently for 10-15 seconds. Add the chopped curry leaves and stir again for 10-12 seconds. Pour this spice mix into the cooked lentils, stir quickly and immediately close the lid of the lentil containing pan (to hold in the aroma and flavour).

Serve while still hot by pouring the lentils into soup bowls, laced with a dash of lemon juice and garnished with fresh coriander leaves :)