There’s an artist - maybe you’ve heard of him: Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin-Manuel is the playwright, composer, and performer responsible for the Broadway musical phenomenon of Hamilton: An American Musical. (In The Heights before that, and Freestyle Love Supreme before that.) He’s a genius - and that’s not just my opinion. The MacArther Foundation awarded him a genius grant in 2015!
I follow Lin-Manuel on social media and he is incredibly generous to his audience. There’s a tricky (yet beautiful) thing about social media. We can follow a complete stranger - their images, their quotes, recipes, stories, vacations - without ever knowing them. And with that comes a connectivity, perhaps a false one, but an odd sense of - hey, I KNOW you!
Every once in awhile Lin-Manuel will greet his followers in the morning and sometimes sign off at bedtime. His posts are like a pep talk to start the morning and a blessing to close out the night. Basically, it’s a hug of words. I’ve come to love them.
I’m a big fan of words and a big fan of hugs. My All Good Things offerings each week are meant to be that for whomever happens to read them. Because that’s my intention, I pay special attention when I receive the very thing I’m trying to provide from someone else.
Last month, Lin-Manuel signed off with this.
Gnight.
Rest your gifts.
Rest your burdens.
Rest your secrets.
Rest your dreams.
Rest your unrequited loves, rest the loves that sustain you.
Tomorrow you can harvest them all again.
On paper, into a mic, to a shrink, onto a canvas.
For now, rest.
So good, right? I’ve added these words to my nightly prayers. They’re such a beautiful reminder. It’s crazy that a stranger’s permission, and sweet instruction to rest those things each night, resonates with me so deeply.
I don’t KNOW Lin-Manuel Miranda, and yet... false or true, we’re all connected, right? We’re connected by the human experience. Lin-Manuel has days that are full of mind blowing success and opportunity, but he types those words in greetings and sign offs and he dissolves himself into one of us.
“Tomorrow you can harvest them all again...” it’s like a line from a hymn or poem. Who knew one could ever 'harvest' their gifts, their loves, secrets, or burdens? It's like they're safely planted while we rest and they're waiting underneath the soil of night to harvest for the new day ahead. We can still create, confess, express... tomorrow. What a relief!
I’ll leave you with one of Lin-Manuel's morning greetings as you greet this Monday morning...
Gmorning
This feeling will pass.
This workload will pass.
These people will pass.
But look at you, with the gift of memory.
You can time travel to the good stuff just by closing your eyes and breathing.
Then come right back to now, eyes up, for the good stuff ahead.
You magic thing.
I have a recipe that is full of good stuff! Each week I make my famous kale salad for at least one of my nine weekly drop off clients. (Have you made it yet?) But in the spirit of Lin-Manuel's Rest and Harvest message, I've put my old kale salad recipe to rest (ok, maybe just for this week,) and I've harvested a new kale salad recipe! Well, new to me. I adapted it from one of my all-time favorite cooks and food writers, Heidi Swanson.
Kale Market Salad
adapted from Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks
Green Dressing:
2 scallions,rinsed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons ripe avocado
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
fresh pepper to taste***
1/2 bunch kale, destemmed, torn into pieces
1 cup cooked farro or wheat berries
4-5 carrots, thinly sliced
1 avocado, cut into small cubes
a big handful of almond slices, toasted
Make the dressing by using a hand blender or food processor to puree the scallions, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, avocado, honey, and pepper until smooth. Taste, and adjust with more salt, or honey, or lemon juice.
Before you're ready to serve, combine the kale with about half of the dressing in a large bowl use your hands to work the dressing into the kale, softening up the kale a bit in the process. Add the farro, carrots, and fennel, more dressing, and a couple pinches of salt, and toss again. Taste, and add the last of the dressing if needed. Add the avocados and almonds and give one last gentle toss.
Serves 2-4.
PREP TIME: 10 MIN