Still Life

accepting the in-between, one bowl of miso soup at a time

Stay tuned for the post I previously prepared for you, featuring an index of recipes I’ve shared here on Substack. Coming your way tomorrow, the six-month anniversary of Slice of Midlife (Substack version).

I’ll keep this brief because I am still recovering from surgery and I am not supposed to be typing with my left arm.

I am a shitty patient.

Inspired by Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor,

Suleika Jaouad

has written beautifully about inhabiting the space between “the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick.”

It’s a hard place for me.

I divide the world into two kinds of people - turkey makers and turkey eaters.

I fall squarely in the first camp and limbo is no place for the likes of me. I am a woman of action.

But, as I wait impatiently for my pathology report, my follow-up visits with surgeon and oncologist, and my chemo schedule to be revealed, I am doing all the right things, including lots of walking.

I’m reading a book called Still Life, binging Julia on Max, and following the twists and turns of the Portuguese government.

In consultation with my daughters, I’ve resurrected my second piercings (which I got when I was 16 and haven’t used in decades) and am experimenting with bold lipstick shades in preparation to be “chemo chic.”

And I am being well cared for and fed by J, who has proven over and over again that he is a rock.

May the winds blow strong and steady for him in the coming year so he can be out on the water in unbridled joy.

The Best Thing I Ate This Week

Tsukune Miso Nabe (Chicken-Meatball Hot Pot in Miso Broth)

I’m constantly experimenting with recipes, with limited success. J prefers standbys. He only makes 10-15 different things, but they are reliably delicious every time.

The gift link above will take you to the soup he makes me whenever I am recuperating from something big.

Enjoy and I’ll see you soon!