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Watching parts of the Grammy Awards last night on TV I noticed they tried to pair singers of different genres, like rock and rap, together. Sometimes it worked well and other times it did not.
Tonight for dinner I took some commercial ground chorizo I had received from a friend and mixed it with Basmati rice and some Indian spices. This mix also worked well and was enjoyed by the three of us. Often my mix of foods does not work out as well. We also had a salad mix of salad greens arugula, tomatoes, feta cheese, spices and oils that worked well. A salad mix is something I am usually good at. (The mixed salad greens and arugula were freshly picked from my sunroom growing area today.)
Is there not some saying about a “mix” being the spice of life? The secret of a good mix I am finding out in growing, cooking and life is finding diverse plants, food, experiences and persons that complement each other, not compete with each other.
As I said in last night’s Diary post, Diversity can lead to Unity or to differences and division. Actually this is not a bad prism to look at life and to discern what is good for you. As St. Ignatius of Loyola points out in his discernment of spirits, if something leaves you feeling whole and good about yourself and others it is from the good spirits. If it leaves you upset and troubled it is from the bad spirits. Life is not that simple, but still this is a good rule and something I believe in and try to use, although I am not always successful.
I am in the process of doing an online interview for the New American Dream blog about the Milwaukee 14 action in 1968. One thing that stands out for me is how natural this action, which some deemed radical, felt for me. It is that way with many of my major and minor decisions in life. In retrospect the ones that I felt were natural and simple were good decisions and the ones that left me uneasy or upset were not good decisions.
I can say that my passion for gardening always felt good, and especially good after I was introduced to organic gardening by Growing Power.
I remember once after a tour of the Holy Land in Palestine and Israel I was making a week of retreat on the shores of Lake Galilee. I felt so normal and peaceful being at these holy places that I thought something was wrong with me and that I should feel something special. My spiritual director for the retreat told me that it was good that I felt normal, natural and at peace in the Holy Land. He pointed out that in everyday life we need to seek to feel the same way. We need just to get the mix right.
This is the type of feeling to strive for in everyday life. That task, to be natural, or doing the will of God as some might say, is a tough one for me in everyday life. I am so grateful for family, friends, and the garden and time for reflection to bring me down to earth repeatedly. For if we really live in the present on the earth in day-to-day living and get the mix right, all will be well.
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