Little by Little, Poco a Poco
An update from Spain and a recipe for Beef and Chorizo Meatballs
Hi friend,
Today marks one month since we departed NY for Spain. Our first weeks here have been so full of life, each day different and not crusted in the comfort of routine or predictability. Each day asking for curiosity and productivity, adaptability and patience. I've been so immersed in the moments here, it's been a little hard to make the time to sit down and write an update!
I know there will be more of a rhythm formed in time, but for now I am relishing the way that this big transition has shaken away the stagnant and made clearer what is truly necessary. The shift illuminates just how much is out of my control that I hunger to reach for, how much obligation I place on myself, and just how much is in need of my touch and attention in the immediate present. Getting out of sync is sometimes the reminder we need to let go of tension and return to grace.
Our days here have been focused, first, by rekindling the warmth of the fire each morning, then by looking down our checklist with a cup of cafe con leche (and away from the literal doom spiral that is the news)... Day one kept us busy sourcing water and firewood. Day two was filled by getting connected to the internet for work. Day three, or four, or thirteen, was something like a meeting with our lawyer to figure out all we need for our visa's (sharing more about this process as a resource soon!).
Recapping the last month, I can see just how much has been accomplished in such a short period of time. We've made a plan for olive tree maintenance. We've purchased a refrigerator. We've picked up several finds from the FB marketplace to begin making the empty space feel slightly more like a home. We watched a Calla Lily in the front courtyard bloom and the Narcissus I picked up at Ikea open its laughy little yellow daffodil flowers. We've indulged in quite a few tasty restaurants and even more meals cooked by fire— roasted pears with local cheese, fried eggs and potatoes, blistered peppers, charred eggplant, caramelized sweet potato, slow roasted beef and chorizo meatballs (recipe below), melted cabbage, creamy risotto, pot after pot of savory soup drizzled with the finest, freshest olive oil eaten alongside salads made up of the wondrous local produce available here even in winter.
We've met with local craftsmen who will help us improve the farmhouse. We've checked into a hotel for a night, once or twice a week, when a cold shower or a sponge bath would no longer cut it. Then, finally, on Friday after a bit of trial and error, we got the hot water heater at the cortijo replaced and had our first hot shower at the property. The bathroom is not yet a very luxurious set up, but the way a hot shower felt like a true homecoming, reaffirming my belief bathing is nothing short of a spiritual act.
There's a lot I feel a bit behind on, still much on the to-do list, like enrolling in a local Spanish class, finalizing what we need for our visa's, purchasing our local health insurance, getting caught up on this little newsletter, and and and... but the rich and grounding accomplishments of each day, whether grand or insignificant, has been a solid place to steady my focus.
With each new friend and person we meet here comes an echo of the same phrase— un poco a poco— little by little. The day, with its pause for siesta, also carries the reminder to enjoy taking things step at a time, slowly. We we take the time to plan ahead— because even the grocery stores are closed for siesta (and every Sunday).
The more I soften and adapt to the local pace, the more I am reminded of a sweet feeling of expansion, peace and clarity I used to get when doing a walking meditation, a practice where while walking I would try to focus on nothing but my breath and my feet moving against the ground. If my mind wandered, I would simply notice, and then without any further rumination on the thought, return to the next breath or step. Moment by moment… by moment.
The way moving slowly and mindfully with my breath helped bring ease to body, mind, and spirit. And, perhaps counter intuitively, it was during that slow and quiet time I felt my most organized and productive and free with my sense of time and ability. How did I fall away from the practice, I wonder?
The Spanish way of taking things little by little, step at a time, slow enough so one can breathe, and then notice, and then think... a life that feels more like meditation— I know it is why I am here.
A sweet friend asked us the other afternoon if there was even a slight part of us feeling regret for the leap we've taken. I am known to be slightly fickle, prone to doubt, adverse to change and discomfort, but without hesitation, the answer is no. No regrets. Each challenge and obstacle and cold shower has felt so so worth it... at least, so far.
Going to continue trusting the poetic way things can unfold when I make space to pause and honor what asks for energy, step at a time.
Beef and Chorizo Meatballs (cooked fireside)
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