I start most weekdays – about 94.5% — the same way: with my regular (but AWESOME) morning oatmeal, a mug of green tea, and an interesting article or TED talk to stretch out my thinker.

The oatmeal is regular because I eat it 94.5% mornings (and some dinners…and some lunches). But it’s AWESOME because it is wonderfully sweet, warm and satisfying – without any added sugars, dairy, or oil. Heating the fruit makes a natural sweetener that, when mixed with the oatmeal, creates a wonderful porridge-like mixture without the milk, butter, or brown sugar.  Moreover, heating the fruit makes the entire meal easy to digest first thing in the morning, as opposed to more “shocking” cold fruits.

This is what I would call a “base meal.” Variations abound. But I think they are all best served with some sort of quiet mental stimulation in the morning times, getting your mind moving in a different direction. I use it as a tool: MAKING you focus on one thing – ONE THING – for a period of time before you step out into the multi-tasking world of 2012. See how AWESOME your mind works when you let it only do one thing! The tops is an “Aha!” moment where your common sense is realized, questioned, and changed with a simple, elegant idea. It feels great. And provides food for interesting conversation throughout the day. Pop it up like a little conversation card. When you try to explain this new idea, maybe you come across yet a new one in your own language; maybe you realize a flaw in the original thinkers idea and amend it with your own (your own little conversational academic  peer-review); maybe the person you are explaining it to sees things differently, an argument arises, and then the sparks and ideas are flying.

Again, AWESOME.

So, I will call these solitary stimulation sessions: “Oatmeal Editions.” In each I will provide a variation on the oatmeal theme along with an “Aha!” moment, keeping your mind and tummy fed throughout the morning.

And without further ado, I present to you: Evelyn Glennie (1965- ). She has been profoundly (not totally) “deaf” – that is, her ears don’t work well, there is something wrong with them – since the age of 12 and is a Grammy-award winning percussionist and composer. Huh, right? According to Wikipedia she plays barefoot during live performances and studio recordings in order to better feel the music (a bit like Helen Keller is said to have done when attending concerts).

But she doesn’t see herself as “deaf” and critiques the misrepresentation that her “hearing impairment” receives from the press She has learned to hear with many parts of her body, has learned to realize, appreciate, and fine-tune the true experience of music that most of us just ascribe to our ears. In her Hearing Essay (1993), Glennie notes, “For some reason we tend to make a distinction between hearing a sound and feeling a vibration, in reality they are the same thing. It is interesting to note that in the Italian language this distinction does not exist. The verb ‘sentire’ means to hear and the same verb in the reflexive form ‘sentirsi’ means to feel. Deafness does not mean that you can’t hear, only that there is something wrong with the ears. Even someone who is totally deaf can still hear/feel sounds.”

Want to get more out of that symphony? Just her music feeds your mind like chocolate in the a.m. Try explaining this one to your buddy over afternoon coffee.

TEDtalk – Evelyn Glennie shows how to listen

Regular (but AWESOME) Morning Oatmeal

Servings: 1-2 servings, depending. One Anna-sized serving will require a big bowl.

(Your “regular morning oatmeal” serving size will take a little experimentation. I eat large breakfasts to get myself through the morning without snacks (except my after-workout carrots). I also just eat a lot. So, this recipe is one “Anna-sized” serving; the same sized meal feeds both my mum and dad.)

Ingredients:

-1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (I use Quaker, personally. Instant could work of course, but the timing will be off on the prep/cooking and I don’t enjoy the texture as much. If you are using instant, though, do your fruit prep beforemaking the oatmeal so that everything comes out at about the same time.)

-1 apple (I prefer Cortland, but really any type will do)
-handful of raisins
-1 tablespoon cinnamon (really, you can spice as you like, but this is a good place to start if you are completely spice-unsure)
-1 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1 banana

Instructions

1. In a medium sized saucepan, boil 1 ¾ cups of water for the oatmeal.
2. While waiting for your water to boil, chop your apple into small pieces: about ½-1 in cube-rectangles, avoiding the core. Put in a separate saucepan with around 1/8 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
3. Add handful of raisins to the apple.
4. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to the apple-raisin mixture. Stir about. Let simmer.
5. When oatmeal water is boiling, add oatmeal and lower heat to medium low. Let simmer until the water is absorbed/evaporated – about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the oatmeal doesn’t stick to the bottom. (Stirring the oatmeal also gives you a good feeling for when the oatmeal is done to your taste – do you like it a little mushier, more porridge-like? Add a bit more water at the beginning and let it simmer a little longer at the medium-low; do you like it a little more whole-oat-like, more flaky? Add a bit less water at the beginning and simmer a bit less on a higher heat setting.)
6. After you have added the oatmeal, slice your banana into pieces about ¼-½ in thick. Add to the apple-raisin mixture. Stir and let simmer.
7. When the oatmeal is done, scoop it into a bowl. Scoop the apple mixture on top (it should be mushy by now – a little chunkier than grammy’s homemade applesauce). Stir. Enjoy with a TED-talk!