A Recipe for Dirt Soup

A summer meditation (or cookbook)

You may find yourself this summer in need of a recipe for a summer classic.

Recipe for Dirt Soup

You will need:

• Water

• Dirt

• Pebbles

• Ripped Leaves

• Patience

• A suspension of adult agenda

• Deep sighs (many)

Step 1

Reacquaint yourself with your ingredients. Time may have disoriented you to what these substances are really for. This is not water, it is broth. This is not dirt, it is a delightful flavor. These are not pebbles, they are secret ingredients. These are not leaves, they are vegetables essential to the soup. However, vegetables are unessential at other meals according to the young chefs.

Step 2

The mixing of ingredients is the doing but also the being. Being with young creativity. Being with memories in the recesses of your brain. Being with play unfolding. Being with impatience. Being with thoughts of cleaning up. Being with a mosquito buzzing in your ear. Being with the sweat in all the places. Being with the day stretching long ahead of you. Being with the hours already gone, not to be seen again.

Step 3

Pour. Spill. Paint. Slosh. Your soup is now a full-body experience. Now unleash the deep sighs, they are for there for many feelings—tiredness, relief, stress. Tired of getting…towels, sunscreen, water, bug spray, band aids, hats, and calm responses when they do not seem to reside within you. Relief in the giving of a…summer, childhood, freedom, nature, space, and safety. Stress for…those in the world who do not have relief, the things not done, the moments outside this one, the sibling fighting, the many days ahead, and not enough days left.

Step 4

Toss out. Repeat tomorrow.

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Note: Recipes written in the early days of summer are bound to evolve. Margins exist for writing lessons learned, technique refinement, and exclamations of joy, annoyance, or collapse.

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As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD, is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your licensed mental health professional or other qualified health provider.