The Art of Survival: Why This Isn't Just a Food Blog

Don’t look for reasons not to like people. Don't hold them down to the word, to the letter, let them be. Look for reasons to love them—for what they cook, what they make, what they draw, or what they play. Look for their art.

I’ll be honest with you: all my life, I wanted to be a mother. In this life, I will not be so lucky. I would give anything to be able to work, to have my own, in the world, but my body has other plans. I can’t always control my hands; they bleed, and the simple act of sitting causes me pain. But I continue because it might get better.

I would work in a kitchen if I could. I’d work in an office. I’d go out to eat every night if sitting didn't hurt so much. I'd even ask you to go for a walk with me—and I still might, even though it hurts.

More Than Just Recipes

You might have wondered why this blog isn’t monetised like a traditional food site. (Oh I'm going to monetise it, and I've tried to.) It’s because this isn’t exactly about food. It’s about health. Food is health, yes. But so is art. So is music, dancing, writing, and conversation. This blog is my raison d’être. Food, for me, is a reason to live.

My Gift to You

This is my gift to you. I share this because I want you to live. I want you to feel a fierce gratitude for your life. I want you to be thankful for the simple act of walking down the street, for the ability to smile at a stranger, or for the taste of a crusty loaf of bread.

I want you to love the simple things—like a flower—and to bloom internally. If you can find that place of peace inside, you can radiate joy. Eventually, we all face disability in some form; it is the natural progression of being human. But if you build that internal garden now, you’ll have reasons to keep going.

You’ll become the old person who smiles for no reason. You’ll be like my Dad, who, as he lay dying, after days of silence, found the strength to say, "I love you."

The "Surrender Flags"

Life is heavy, so we must laugh for no reason. Smile even when you don’t want to, because it forces those happy chemicals into your brain. The brain is plastic and you need always to create those positive inner pathways.

Let me help you: my mum puts little twist ties with white labels on freezer foods. I once opened the meat drawer to find a whole bunch of little white surrender flags.

A Call to Create

Make make. Eat eat. Play play. Paint paint. Draw draw. Dance dance.

It is vital for your health to allow yourself a day off between the stress and the work. Go and see faces until your flesh surrenders. Then, smile on the inside and never, ever, ever give up.