Lisa Hopkins: From Scarcity to Abundance & the Power of Soup

What starts out as scarcity can often become abundant in its gifts.

Transcript

From Scarcity to Abundance & the Power of Soup

Every so often I make soup. I don’t follow a recipe and the soups I make are never the same. More often than not, the goal is not so much to make soup, as it is to clean out the fridge. 

And yet, each time I do it, as the ingredients start to simmer and the savory smells waft through the air; I am reminded how powerful soup making can be.

Unassuming and generous in its simplicity, the soup gradually evolves as the hours pass and the ingredients intermingle to co-create a new flavor that improves over time.

We find ourselves being drawn into the kitchen, eager to consume. But it isn’t ready yet so we commune instead, around the soup’s steady patient simmer, a gentle reminder to slow down and take our time.

We discuss flavors and laugh as we playfully debate which spices might improve or detract from the concoction. What began as a chore is now a collaboration as we share a taste from the same spoon. What started out as scarcity has become abundant in its gifts.

So next time you tell yourself you don’t have the ingredients you need to create something new or look into your proverbial fridge and tell yourself there's nothing to eat, I challenge you to discover that the recipes are yours to create and you’ve got everything you need right now.

Remember that the alchemy of soup is in the transformation of what seems like useless scraps of unwanted leftovers into something that has the power to draw us together, stimulate our creativity and nourish our souls.