We were just talking today about the busy trap. You know those people who, when you ask how they’re doing their answer is always some variation of how busy they are? “Can’t hang out, crazy busy“. It’s too easy to get caught up in the chaos of the day to day and not take the time to slow down and enjoy all the fun things this life has to offer us.

This weekend was a legitimately busy weekend. Not a feel-sorry-for-me busy weekend, or a feel-envious-of-me weekend, just a full few days.

On Thursday, we had our good friend who’s leaving town over for dinner. He brought me raw pumpkin seeds as a hostess gift. He knows me so well.

Then on Friday I had a really inspiring picnic lunch with an old co-worker who I recently got back in touch with and am so thankful I did. It’s funny how people enter and re-enter your life just when it seems they’re meant to.

I danced my face off on Friday night and re-connected with some friends I haven’t seen in a few weeks. It had been much too long since I’d danced like that. I mean, I dance in my kitchen all the time, but this was a whole other level of dancing. Invigorating to the soul dancing. So good, so necessary.

On Saturday, I worked at the Farmer’s Market in the morning and then I took Reid and my Dad to a Meatless Meet-Up on the North Shore at Buddha-Full. It was so very cool to see my Dad, post-heart attack, totally enjoying a raw vegan meal. It warmed my heart in a way that words can’t explain. This is a different man than the one I grew up with. Nowadays he raves about his homemade hummus and how much he loves kale and salads. Keep it up Dad, you’re doing great and you will totally kick this Heart Disease! Now if we can just get him to tone down the 10 cups of tea a day… baby steps though, right?!

Saturday night was frantic realize-you-haven’t-done-any-schoolwork-yet-nose-in-the-books night, naturally. I can’t complain, I have the world’s best school schedule, but I do still need to put some pretty serious work in. It can’t be all fun I guess (even though I think learning is totally fun). I thought all weekend about how much I wanted to blog and all the cooking I wanted to do, but I just couldn’t make it work and fit it in without stress. I’m all for productivity, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out, and I’d rather have a good time doing what I can than try and cram too much stuff into too little time and stress out about it. We are too blessed to be stressed, remember? Sometimes I am my own biggest stressor, so it was good to remind myself that it is okay to just take a break once in a while.

This morning we went out for dim sum with a bunch of highschool friends. We recently reunited at a friend’s wedding and have been gathering for meals every so often. There’s something really comforting about being around people who have known you forever and who you still totally get along with. I guess it helps that they are all totally cool people.

More studying this afternoon, and then a majorly impromptu fancy dinner out (I am so spoiled!) at The Acorn, my (since 5 minutes ago) new favourite restaurant in Vancouver. It’s all locally sourced, fresh, mostly organic ingredients. Tons of vegan, raw, gluten-free options, and every dish we tried was just bursting with flavour. I’ve been waiting for a restaurant like this to open up, and in my hood nonetheless. Thanks Vancouver, just… thanks!

So now here I sit, thinking of all the ways I could squeeze a blog post out of the few moments left before I call it a night… and I realized I never really just write anything. It’s always about the food. And of course, I do love the food, but there is more to life than food. There’s the living life part. There’s having a weekend that is so full with rich and meaningful experiences that there are just no hours left in the day to work in cooking something for the blog. I looked at a recipe for raw cashew cheese about 34 times this weekend, just hoping that time would stop and I could make it happen for the Food Matters Project this week. I had a vision for raw nut cheeze balls instead of the tofu-centric vegan option that’s in the cookbook. At least I know for sure I will be making it, sooner or later.

But I am in no rush. Because sometimes it’s about slowing down and enjoying all the other things. Sometimes it’s about getting caught up, and sometimes it’s about agreeing with yourself that you’ll get caught up another time. This weekend was “busy”, but I prefer to think of it as full of life, which I’m loving right now, raw cashew cheese or not.