Recharging

          Burn-out in a very demanding career or ministry is a reality.  Most often this happens in careers where there is a great deal of emotional, psychological and physical stress. Being a doctor makes me prone to burn out. There are days when I have to drag myself to go to the clinic, see an emergency, attend another meeting  or answer another urgent phone call. This is why there is always a need for me to recharge. How does one come to a point of being energized again after being sapped of one's enthusiasm, motivation and strength? There are a few things I remind myself when I am feeling weary and weak:

1. God is the source of my strength.
            God enables and provides us with the energy to do what He has purposed us to do. Prayer and bible reflections is the quickest and the most powerful form of recharge for me. Connecting to our Power Source is the most logical thing to do when suffering burn out. It's also what the world calls "finding your Center". Often, my feelings of exhaustion and exasperation arise when I do not regularly do a Quiet Time. I have a habit of doing a regular Quiet Time when I wake up - I pray, read a short Bible passage, meditate on it, work on my schedule for the day mentally, then pray again. I usually have a clearer perspective and priorities for the day, my anxieties and worries are cast upon God through prayer and I get a boost to do what it good and right for the day.
 
2. Be kind to yourself.
            I am human, fallen and broken. My strength is not limitless, therefore I should create boundaries. Learn to say NO to the things God has not called you to do. Make sure you are getting enough water for the day, you are eating healthy and on time, you are getting enough sleep and regular exercise. Headaches and muscle fatigue set in easily when I am dehydrated. I make sure I have a bottle in my clinic and my car. Hypoglycemia or hunger can make your mind cloudy, your temper short and your head ache. Make time for a short but good meal in the middle of a busy day. Get enough sleep. Turn off the gadgets at night. Sleep deprivation can make you irritable, mar your judgments and cause you to feel always tired. There is such a thing a sleep debt - caused by weeks or months of sleep loss. When this happens, it takes several days or week of restful sleep before you can recover.
           As I get older, I feel my body being more sensitive to these effects. I feel more aches and pains and tire more easily. I realize I am no longer a spring chicken. I don't work myself up to doing more. I have learned to adjust my workload, my pace and my schedule according to my age.
         I have also noticed that although " taking mini vacations" sometimes give me a second wind, it does not last long and I am back to a blah-state within a day or two.This became more noticeable as I entered my late 40's. There are physical, hormonal and psychological things that happen in the different phases of our lives and we have to learn to live with them.

3. Pre-plan regular me-times, personal retreats and long vacations.
           A lot of people feel guilty scheduling a me-time. They think it is a selfish practice. A lot of people also think taking regular vacations a luxurious whim, a waste of time and money. But researches abound to prove that rest and recreation is beneficial to one's health. If it is truly important, then we should make time for it in our lives.
          Very often, we take vacations when we have hit rock bottom or when there are storm signals or national holidays. you don't,  other people's clamor for your time will gobble up your schedules leaving you with an imbalanced use of your time.

6. Connect
             Nurturing human interactions give you a powerful energy boost....lift the soul very quickly- an enjoyable and intimate  conversation with a friend, laughing with your children and students, sharing a glass of wine  or a quiet evening with your partner...



                                                                         

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:9, 10 NIV)

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch ir a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is the meaning of success."   Ralph Waldo Emerson

End-of-the-Year Get-Away at Balai Indang

          It has always been a personal practice for me to take the rest of the days after Christmas and into the New Year off. Aside from allowing me to get on with the tasks of preparing a million things for the Season ( from parties, shopping, gift wrapping and cooking), it also allows me to have some time later for reconnecting,recharging, rejuvenation and reflection, especially after the festivities are over.
           I always like to spend the last two days of the year for a personal retreat - to take stock of the year that was, to set my goals/vision for the coming year, to take time to listen to what God wants me to do, to pray and to soak in God's word. And usually I do it in a new environment and with my whole family in tow. They get to have a holiday, I don't have to cook and I am free and licensed to do my own thing. Staying at home does not do the job as the sight of clutter and long-neglected chores rob me of my focus. I need to go somewhere where the referral calls can temporarily be denied or muted. This year we decided to go to Balai Indang - a very tranquil get away just a few minutes from the maddening Tagaytay road.
        The place is so relaxing, the staff are so helpful, attentive and soft spoken and the meals are not so fancy, it feels like you're eating at home. You can sleep, nap or meditate in the very many corners of your room, the lanai or the gardens which always have a seat or two, a cushioned lounging chair or sofa and just dream away, until at mealtimes, a courteous staff comes around to say, "Ma'am, dinner is ready na po." What a life !  It's like living in a hacienda. I brought along my 84 yr old stressed out Mom, and she said, " Can you leave me here for a week? ".  And why not, look.....

       

Paella Valenciana

It Tastes Like Christmas

CANALONES MONTANER

This is a recipe that comes from my mother-in-law's old recipe book. It is a dish she always served during Christmas since her children were young. When you serve this to my husband or any of his family, they say, " it tastes like Christmas". Once you take a bite of the soft thin crepe swimming in the Bechamel sauce, the flavors of the meat filling- made up of grounds meats, liver paste and Majestic ham scraps- burst in your mouth and according to them," triggers loads of many memories of Christmases past" . When Canalones  is on the table, it must be a very very special occasion ! Now, even the next generation– Enzo, Iya, Jan,Jovi and Jack - look forward to having it every Christmas morning.
It is a definite family favorite, but Lola Nanay's recipe note says," A favorite of the Gutierrezes and President JFK", making me wonder where the origins are of this recipe.

 Filling :

½ kg ground lean pork

½ kg boiled ground chicken   (save the broth!)

¼ kg ground ham (Majestic scrap ham)

1 large onion chopped fine

liquid seasoning (Maggi) 

½ cup milk

¼ cup flour

½ cup broth or water

¼ cup chopped parsley

½ cup liver spread

Saute onion with pork, chicken and ham.

(Nanay puts the chicken and ham in a food processor so the filling turns out very fine.)

Season with a little Maggi seasoning.

Add flour, mix then add milk and broth, parsley and liver spread.

Savory Crepe Wrapper:

1 cup APF

½ tsp salt

2 TBSP Knorr seasoning

½ cup milk

½ cup water

3 eggs

Mix until well blended using a wire whisk.

For fine crepes, pass thru a sieve.

Cook in a Teflon pan as you would crepes using about ¼ cup batter per crepe.

Makes 8-12 crepes. May need to double the recipe if using a Pyrex rectangular dish.

Bechamel Sauce:

¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ block Magnolia or Anchor butter

½ block Queso or Magnolia Cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 250 ml carton Nestle cream

¾ cup milk + ¾ cup water or chicken broth

½ Knorr beef cube

Melt butter in a saucepan over low medium fire.

Stir in flour. (Actually I’ve seen Nanay toast or brown the flour a bit in the dry saucepan before she put the butter.)

Mix with wire whisk. Add in water/broth and rest of the liquids. Mix well.

Add Nestle cream, grated cheese and beef cube. Stir until thick.

To assemble: 

Put 2 TBSP meat filling in the middle of a crepe. Roll tightly. Lay out filled crepes in a glass baking dish. Pour Bechamel sauce over the crepes.

Top with thin slices of Quickmelt cheese.

Bake at 275 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

  

Betty Crocker's Chocolate Chip Bars

My family loves desserts. Every meal has to be capped by dessert. And it cannot just be a banana or a slice of fruit. It has to be scrumptious because we all have a sweet tooth.

This chocolate chip bar is yummy and my kids love it, especially with cold milk. I have learned to cook a big batch of it because we eat it for snacks and dessert. Here is the recipe I use:

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 block Magnolia Gold butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 packages or 12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat over to 375 degrees ( but since my oven is hotter than usual, I put it at level 2 or 325 degrees).
Grease and flour a large rectangular pan ( around 16 x 10 x 3  inches).
Mix sugars, butter and vanilla. Beat in egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in nuts and chocolate chips. Spread the thick and heavy dough in a pan making sure it is even all throughout.
Bake until light brown ( around 25-35 mins). Cool; cut into bars , about 2 x 11/2 inches.
Makes around 30-36 bars.

I have been having some baking mishaps lately. Some of my cakes rise too much in the center creating a dome. The centers would often be undercooked while the edges of the cake were already brown and crisp. When I studied what the possible cause was, it was often due too an oven that is too hot. So when I tried this recipe lately, I put my oven temperature one level lower. I had to adjust my cooking time though, because it needed more time to cook. But yes, it turned out even and flat, well cooked all around - center and edges - and there was no dome! Finally. I should remember to do this until I get my new dream convection oven.

Pasta Alegria

1 whole breast of chicken , boiled, shred into chunks
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small head garlic , minced
2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
12 pcs capers
1 large can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1/8 tsp oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

Spaghetti or fettucini noodles cooked al dente

Instructions
Saute garlic and shallots in olive oil. Be careful not to burn garlic.
Stir in chunks of chicken, olives, capers, basil, oregano and season with salt and pepper. You may add 1tbsp sugar if you want it sweet.
Simmer in low fire and sauce is well blended and cooked.

Pour over cooked noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

In my Garden

   

  

Pink Ginger

 I can think of very few tasks which bring me closer to the earth and so in tune with God than tilling my garden. Under the early morning sun, with a fresh breeze every now and then, and a symphony of different birdcalls, I dig. This is always a happy time for me...I am in a world of my own..I relish digging the soil, sweating it out, feeling the warm moist dirt with my hands, amazed that these dark brown crumbs can actually sustain life. And how can you describe the smell of earth? With my little shovel I plow and peer, and marvel at the unrecognized realm of life that exists underneath (yes, the roots coming from nowhere and everywhere, the fat earthworms, the little bugs and ants that live subterranea). I study every leaf and petal, much like the doctor that I am, doing my daily bedside patient rounds, watchful of every nuance of decay and growth.

Gardening can be a very spiritual experience. If I am sensitive, each act of poking and digging, pruning and repotting can become an act of spiritual meditation.There are many universal laws that can be gleaned from a garden: laws that govern personal growth and how to handle people  are very similar to laws that govern plants and gardens.

I am not surprised. God is the creator of gardens; he is the Supreme Gardener.

 Jesus said,"I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener." 

Yellow vine

Look at these pretty flowers below. I did not put them there. I woke up one morning and found a sturdy seedling 4 inches high jutting from the ground. Before long, it has grown into this wonderful bouquet. Who planted them? I didn't. Maybe the birds did.  Or the butterflies. Or God. Who fed them? watered them? I don't know. But they are there and they are beautiful, and I enjoy them...it happened without my planning or my planting. Sometimes good things or great things just come about without me planning them and working for them.
These are called "blessings" or gifts. And life is like that, sometimes.
I don't always have to be in control.

 Another precious lesson I learned is each plant is unique and will grow best and bloom where the soil, sunlight and water suit them the best. "Bloom where you are planted" as some pop
motivational psychologists declare just does NOT work for plants in a garden. 

I was an amateur gardener wanting to grow an English cottage garden in my backyard in Sta. Rosa. I wanted roses, vines, impatiens and hydrangeas to surround me. I wanted bursts of colors from flower boxes and baskets. So I started planting impatiens in flower boxes and hung them by my windows which happened to face the scorching afternoon sun. They grew lanky and tall, bloomed scarcely and then wilted. Even if I fertilized them. They didn't look happy at all. I told my landscaper friend about this and he laughed at me like I did the most stupid thing.  English cottage garden, hah ! In the Philippines? So, I have learned to study plants and their specific needs for soil, sunlight and water and the times of the year when they bloom the best. Much like people, there are sensitive plants that you need to handle with care and just need the exact amount of water or sun, while there are also plants that can withstand days without watering or can be left to the mercy of the hot tropical sun in summer. If you want people to bloom, put them in an environment which will be conducive to their growth. You cannot go against nature, force them in a place where they struggle with their survival or worse, make them do things which they are not gifted to do and expect them to excel.

Now, let's go to deadheading. In gardening, deadheading is the removing dead flower heads from a plant to encourage further blooming, i.e. pruning.. Do you know that deadheading is a Jesus principle? In the Book of John chapter 15, Jesus says "He cuts off every brach in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

Bougainvilla 

I
In the beginning, I loved the sight of flowers so much I didn't have the heart to deadhead. In the Philippines, some old folks even advise against pruning because plants may feel slighted and stop growing or blooming ("baka magtampo").  I did not want to touch my plants with pruning shears until I talked to my gardener friend who advised that the more I cut dead flowers, the more the plant will bloom. I don't know why or how deadheading works but it really works. Maybe pruning streamlines the plant's use of nutrients and water, redirecting them to producing flowers and fruits instead of being wasted nourishing dried up stems and petals.

Golden Crossandra (photo taken by Patrick Gutierrez)

When God starts using his pruning shears in my life, I don't readily welcome it. Pruning can be painful! But Paul in Hebrews 12 says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of rigtheousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Do I want my life to bear fruit? I should be willing to be pruned.
So many aspects of my life steal my joy and productivity. It may be pride, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, envy, sloth, addictions, procastination, excessive ambition or materialism. Deadheading or pruning is cutting away these parts of my life so that all my energies go into bearing fruit.

          

Love and Devotion from my garden

                 

Crab's Claw

Lantana camara or Verbena

The other important thing I learned from my garden is, just like with seemingly hopeless people, you just don't give up on your plants. There have been so many occasions in my garden when a plant looked so sick or so completely infested their leaves and stems have fallen off or dried up, I condemned them as goners. Then I took a second thought and started cutting away all the dead and infected parts of the plant, invested in bit more care than the usual, tended
them daily, put them in the gentle shade with enough moisture, and the plant came back to life.

Love and Devotion- the other color.
I took this picture from Taal Vista Lodge along Tagaytay,not from my garden.