We at The NotWedding are proud to introduce Zac Harrison, our new guest blogger. Zac works for a business called Fresh Harvest, and we’re really looking forward to you hearing more about what they do in the coming Wednesdays. Long story short, they deliver farm-fresh, certified organic food right to your doorstep as you sign up to receive baskets. It’s a business dedicated to your body’s health and happiness, and we think that that mission couldn’t be more complementary to ours of Encouraging Strong Marriages. (Plus he’s a dude! We have the benefit of a male perspective in the sea of female voices that is wedding world!) Zac is going to supply us with posts that remind/inform us of the importance of food as it relates to our well-being as individuals and in relationship. Here’s a little blurb about him from the Fresh Harvest website, and his first short submission about getting back in the kitchen:
Zac took a motorcycle trip across America in 2012 that exposed him to the benefits of organic farming. When he pulled back into his driveway in Athens, GA, his question was, “Now what?” The physical and spiritual health that came from the farming communities he stayed with on his trip was something he wanted the people he loved to experience. The experiences on the farm on the California coast, the conversations with the horticulturist he camped with in Yosemite, and the needs he saw on the Supai Native American Reservation made him wonder how he could put those moments in a box and bring them back home. Fresh Harvest was that “box.” Since returning from this trip he has married his best friend, Lauren, and settled down the great city of Decatur. His job is to make you feel more connected with the earth you stand on and the community you live in.
————Get back in the kitchen where you belong————-
Yes, this article has been written by an ignorant sexist; one with a fear of his own shadow and dip spit on his chin. I’ll even throw in a flare of insensitive bigotry if it’s one of those days where the words come easy.
Of course, I’m kidding. Don’t the shades of pink and blasts of sparkle give me away? The part about me being a sexist, that is a joke. The introductory quote, however, I stand behind. And yes, I’m talking to you…and my own lovely wife because of whom I could never be a sexist, but I am sex-something.
Back to the kitchen: I would like to propose a plan for a rekindling of sorts. Food was created to bring people together and tables were meant to be shared. A table with one chair is called a bar for which there are other reasons. Whether shared by two or ten, a meal is communal. Busy lives only get busier. Clocks only leave dashes in the dust faster as they pick up moments-tum. The fights rooted in fatigue and miscommunication only build to a very clear communication of “this isn’t working.” Therefore, slow down. Read that sentence again.
The rekindling begins with an agreement between a husband and a wife to get back in the kitchen. This is where you both belong. Use few ingredients. Make a mess if that’s your thing. Clean as you go because you never know where the night might lead. Fill your pallet with local produce that is in season. Cook through an entire cookbook. Support the farmers in your area. Those do still exist. Hip Grocery Store Down The Street can’t touch that freshness. All of this is about connection anyway, right? So go all in. Don’t buy appliances to make things “more convenient” because you’ll only find yourself less connected with less storage space. A well-weighted knife and a skillet is all you’ll often need. Al Green singing from the other room might help.
Set aside time for nothing. Don’t settle for a life that mostly was. Explore what works. Try new meals. Love your evenings together. Taste and see.
-Zac
