Working with obstacles is life’s journey. The warrior is always coming up against dragons. Of course the warrior gets scared, particularly before the battle. It’s frightening. But with a shaky tender heart the warrior realizes that he or she is just about to step into the unknown, and then goes forth to meet the dragon.
The warrior realizes that the dragon is nothing but unfinished business presenting itself, and that it’s fear that really needs to be worked with. The dragon is just a motion picture that appears there, and it appears in many forms: as the lover who jilted us, as the parent who never loved us enough, as someone who abused us. Basically what we work with is our fear and our holding back, which are not necessarily obstacles.
If every time the warrior goes out and meets the dragon, he or she says, “Hah! It’s a dragon again. No way am I going to face this,” and just splits, then life becomes a recurring story of getting up in the morning, going out, meeting the dragon, saying, “No way,” and splitting. In that case you become more and more timid and more and more afraid and more of a baby.
The warrior is one who continually leaps, one who continually opens, one who continually goes forward. It isn’t easy and it’s accompanied by a lot of fear, a lot of resentment, and a lot of doubt. That’s what it means to be human, that’s what it means to be a warrior. It’s a process of taking off the armor that you might have had some illusion that was protecting you from something, only to find that actually it’s shielding you from being fully alive and fully awake.
Then you go forward and you meet the dragon, and every meeting shows you where there’s still some armor to take off.
–Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape
Somedays, the warrior in me faces the dragon through baking.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Adapted from a recipe my mother gave me years ago)
Gluten, dairy and egg free
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal + 3 Tbsp. warm water, thicken for 5 minutes
- 1 c. peanut butter (I went with chunky)
- 3/ 4 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. nondairy chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine peanut butter and sugar together.
- Add the flax “egg.”
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Spoon onto baking sheet. Flatten with a fork. Optional: top with raw sugar.
- Bake 10 minutes.
These look to die for! My husband found your peanut butter cookie recipe online and is insisting I make them this weekend =) Thanks for sharing. Once I finish up with my “real job” of baking cakes, I’ll give this a shot. We both enjoy fork and beans…keep it going!
– Shannon @ Crumb Cake Creations
I want your “real job” Shannon 🙂 What a fun career! And I am SO SO SO happy to hear that you and your husband like F&B! Wow–that makes me smile and gives me ooey-gooey feelings, for reals. xo!
I love this post. That is all
🙂
So happy to hear! The end. 🙂
Delightful Gf & vegan cookies! they look so appetizing & well flavoured too! I am so going to make them & use almond butter once instead of the peanut butter!
Oooohhh, let me know how the almond cookies turn out, Sophie!
Beautiful excerpt Cara – I love it when you get all deep on us!
You are a total Warrior – maybe even a Ninja…..a Graceful Inspiring Ninja Dragon Slayer should be on your resume 🙂
I am actually working on my resume right now and am trying to incorporate “Graceful Inspiring Ninja Dragon Slayer” into it somehow. Do you think it looks best as a header or shall I enter in as on of my previous occupations?
These will definitely be a hit at my house!
That is, *if* they survive past the baking sheet. Man, these things are so good, warm out of the oven…
Don’t let the warrior in you be discouraged by the baking dragon! These cookies look like they are definitely a victory, and I love how simple the recipe is! I will definitely have to try them out.
Simplicity is best, isn’t it? Hope you enjoy them! xo
Love this! I’ll chisel my armor down if you will! (hehe) Let’s do THIS! There is power in numbers…and this is one of the best stories you have ever posted, not to mention these cookies! Love ya Cara! 😉 xox
I’m making us shirts now. They will read: “This is about as much armor as I will wear” or something like that 🙂
i am woman, hear me roar! i am a warrior! here’s to slaying all the dragons that try to stop us from achieving our goals. we’re stronger than them and can do anything!
also! i love this recipe! no flour…whhhhat? and so simple. making these stat!
You are adorable. I am loving the roaring woman 😉
I can’t believe how simple these cookies are to make – what a great deal! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You got it Jennifer. Leave it to my mother to give me a simple recipe 🙂
I love this analogy of the dragon slayer fortified with peanut butter. Maybe even Pema Chodrom would appreciate this? (I’m not sure if she’s a PB fan, but she knows about dragons).
I like the idea that what we are protecting ourselves from is actually holding us back. Time to go have some PB and wake up to opportunities. Thanks for another thoughtful recipe.
Cheers!
Ha! I love all your thoughtful replies. Absolutely makes me smile! I’m going to the store right now and stocking up on some peanut butter to pass out to everyone hear. Let the fortress begin…
http://books.google.com/books?id=DA-ZvUPsHdYC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=princess+peanut+butter++dragon&source=bl&ots=R4OiIu1bp3&sig=AitkjpmVXQ2OXxKMDC098kdw8O4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QqbfT-DPOYHRsgakxKHlCA&ved=0CFwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=princess%20peanut%20butter%20%20dragon&f=false
WHERE DO YOU FIND THESE THINGS???!!!! Seriously. You find the *best* stuff on the internet…ever!!
thats an amazing cookie and a wonderful story.. its a fight everyday this side of the world.. its kind of a part of life..so not really a fight and not really an armor needed. or maybe some chocolate armor.. hubbs is befuddled by my sudden chocolate likeness. i make a chocolate something pretty much everyday to snack on or for dessert. i think i am ready to host you now with enough chocolate in the house!
You are on a chocolate roll! I am loving it and yet I am saddened that I am not there to partake in your choco fest… Let’s see how much chocolate it takes to beat the crap out of a dragon 😉
These look yummy. I’ve yet to meet a dragon who can’t be felled by peanut butter and chocolate. And introspection and analysis, but whatever. Peanut Butter and Chocolate taste much better in cookie form. Introspection kinda tastes like liver…
PS, is an “armor of cookies” like a “school of fish” or a “gaggle of geese”? Because I could totally live with that…
And how many dragons have you encountered in your life, I must know…
Yes, an armor of cookies is like a flock of seaguls…
Well, let’s see now, there was Smaug… Puff, the Magic… Falkor… Uhhh and Dear. Dear Dragon was all uponz the peanut butter cookies. But the biggest dragons at my house are Sloth, Indecision, and Self Loathing. Fearsome beasts who feast on my brain daily. I think it must taste like peanut butter and chocolate cookies…
Beautiful story, and a vegan cookie with 4 ingredients?? Heck yeah!!!! By the way, your mention of armor made me think of the term “body armor”, which us massage therapists use alot. It refers to the postural modifications that you naturally make as a way to deal with dragons, er….stress (a common one is hiking your shoulders up torwards your ears). Sometimes a compassionate body worker can use their hands to help lift that armor off, and sometimes a friend can do the same with a vegan peanut butter cookie. Awesome.
Cat, I absolutely LOVED this comment and your perspective as a massage therapist! What a great comparison. Thank you for being so lovely and replying to this post. xoxo!
Could you use a sugar substitute or would they not turn out then?
I’m sure if you used a substitute it would be fine! Try it out and let me know what happens. xo
Love the story Cara and the cookies look divine!
Thank you! xoxo
What a lovely story Cara- you are so right about armour and it preventing us from growing. I myself have been having a problem with that of late. Thanks for your reminder that it’s ok to drop the shield and meet what’s facing me. I might fall and get a little burned but what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger right?
Lovely cookies. Pure goodness right there 🙂
Now you have that Kelly Clarkson song in my head “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” 🙂 You are right, it is ok to drop the shield, in fact, I am realizing that is how life is meant to be lived. Somehow in all of it, it makes it all better. Much love to you, Gabby! xoxo <–and more!
To you too my dear 🙂
Wow Cara, that is such a cool story. I love that metaphor. I definitely have some dragons in my life. Those cookies look delicious too. I’m a sucker for PB:) hope you have a great week!
Caralyn, you are so wonderful–I hope you know that! Sending you all my love from the west coast. xoxo
So true! Facing dragons is scary, but a lot of the time it isn’t the dragon that’s the problem, but the mustering up we have to do.
Also, these cookes sound so good! I made peanut butter cookies very similar once, but without the chocolate chips… will have to do that next time! 🙂
I read somewhere that the chocolate takes the fear away 🙂 xo
Al loves PB cookies. Shall I make them for him? Nah, I think I’d rather read him your bedtime story. Besides he’s full of that secret, incredibly easy recipe and we’re out of PB. I love you even if your dearest held desire is to be licked to death by a PB loving dragon. 😀
The biggest smile is on my face right now. Come over and check it out… xoxox!!!
‘kay
I want to hug you so bad it hurts. Seriously science, where’s my blasted transporter already?
For reals, science. Get with it!!!
Shoot! Not sure if I told you or not today…
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No I haven’t heard that yet today but I LOVE YOU also!!!! 🙂 xo
It is so easy to put on armor, thinking you’re protecting yourself. But, you know you’re really growing when you realize it’s not that you need to put more between you and your troubles, but just face them as you are. Thank you for sharing this inspiring perspective. Good luck facing those dragons.
No Sarah, I should be thanking YOU for your insight. What a beautiful comment… Much love to you. xo
This sounds delicious, but your story is mental. I’d definitely not meet the dragon in battle, at the very least I’d get singed and that would be annoying. Besides, they can fly… severe disadvantage for me… plus, I’m not a samurai… I’m clearly lacking in spirituality. Oh well. Also, you might want to get yourself a better and less delicious armour.
Someone is going to remain a big baby all his life then… ha!
Oi! I’m a man!
There is currently a debate up on that one…
Who’s having it?
Me and my split personalities.
Sounds insane.
I think I will try this. Is the Ener-G egg replacer 100% Gluten? What peanut butter did you use? I have friends I would really like to bake for. One of my friends has a child that can’t have dairy, gluten or nuts. I can’t imagine how entailed cooking is for her family of 7.
Hi Susan, yes Ener-G is gluten-free (or so they claim)… I just used regular ol’ peanut butter made from peanuts and oil. Bake these for your friends and test your will power 🙂 xo
I love that there is no flour or grains of any sort keeping me from enjoying the purity of my PB and chocolate together! Yum!
Thank you for sharing that story. It is so great to know that there are warriors like you inspiring all of us to be warriors as well. 🙂
I just got a phone call last night, telling me that a little angel dropped off some goodies at my old place…
I think the muffin fairy may have come by… 🙂
I know, I can’t believe these cookies are completely grain free! Talk about easy!
And Cara, you ARE the Dragonslayer!!! And Kristy, thanks for being an Angel to Cara because I live so far away 🙁 Someone needs to take care of her! hugs to you both!