Life can get hectic and when that happens for me, I make some chicken soup—from the whole chicken. It’s another form of meditation for me not just while I’m preparing it, but even after it’s made when I eat it and share with my family. You see, homemade bone broth is one of the most nutrient foods one can consume and I always have some of this soup--the best, most healing bone broth ever--on hand. I make a big batch about once per month and freeze it in small batches.
This past week, it was time for another batch. So in the midst of all my hurriedness of managing life, I headed to the store, got my pastured whole chicken and my organic veggies and I came home and began the process.
As I was soaking the chicken in a water vinegar solution (you do this first to pull healthy nutrients out of the chicken bones), I began chopping my veggies. It's kind of a process to prepare the soup, but as I was chopping those veggies, standing in the kitchen with fresh produce on the counter, it dawned on me--making chicken soup really is good for my soul.
It’s meditative. It slows me down. And, as the cooking begins, the smell that fills our home feels nourishing. Yes, just the smell alone feels nourishing. The stirring of the soup reeks of tradition--people have been standing over a pot making nourishing soups for centuries. Moving my slotted spoon through the broth to remove the cooked down bones feels restorative.
It occurred to me then--no wonder this type of soup is so healing. Of course from a intellectual perspective I know the properties of this type of soup and why it is so healing. But it’s also so healing from a spiritual perspective, not just for the one who ingests it, but for the one who makes it.
Cooking this soup for me, in the midst of life’s hectic nature, feels so grounding and rejuvenating. It truly feels like nourishment for my soul.
Beyond it being good for the soul, this kind of soup saves lives. Here’s an interesting about bone broth: when Mahatma Ghandi's son got extremely sick with typhoid and pneumonia his doctor recommended homemade chicken soup and eggs as his medicine. The Ghandi's were strict vegetarians, but they adhered to the prescription and their son healed.
I now know that whomever prepared that soup for the Ghandi's son healed during the preparation, and then they healed a little more upon seeing his improvement after eating it.
One thing is for sure-- chicken soup is powerful stuff.
Takehome: When the going gets tough, make some chicken soup.