Beans

I have to admit, I don't know beans about beans...or at least very little about cooking them.  But the other day I decided that the ham bone that was in the fridge, an Easter leftover, would make a really good foundation for a pot of beans.  

So I dove in (figuratively, that is) and wound up with pot of fairly tasty bean soup.  Not bad, if I do say so myself--even if my orginal intent was just beans, not soup.

Neuroscientists tells us that we human beings are only aware of a very small fraction of what our brains are actually doing.  And that's more than just keeping our hearts pumping and our lungs breathing without our consciously thinking about it, too.  Our brains are processing data at lightning speeds that put computers to shame--gathering in all kinds of information of which we're never even aware, and then setting up our conscious minds to make what we then believe are autonomous decisions.  It's like having an army of dutiful soldiers and secretaries in our heads, taking care of business while we go merrily on our way thinking we've got everything under our control.  Yeah, right.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are many things in this life about which I know beans.  I don't even know what's going on in my own brain most of the time.  But even so, if I start out with a good foundation and stir in a little variety, the results--while maybe not always exactly what I plan--are usually pretty nourishing and sometimes even delicious.

But then, maybe that was the plan all along.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled."

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Expecting to Dye

Last weekend as I read the Sunday paper I took note (with perhaps a little too much glee) that Target had eggs on sale for 99 cents a dozen.  99 cents!  I couldn't resist the bargain, and when I commented to the woman checking me out how cheap they were, her response surprised me:

"It's for Easter!"

Guess I should have expected it.  What major retailer wouldn't want to take advantage of all that dyeing?  

The truth is, there's a lot of dying going on.  So much so, that most of us hardly even take notice.  That is until it hits close to home--someone we love--maybe even us.

It's springtime again--that crazy wonderful season when religious people of all stripes and spots make some fairly outrageous claims--of release from bondage--of light overcoming darkness--of blooming flowers and empty tombs and fear transformed into joy.  It's the time of year when we celebrate the hoped-for and the unexpected: when all that dying suddenly changes color...and there is life.

Joy and peace to all!

Steve

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Piece of Cake!

I have to admit that when it comes to cake, I don't know "no."  Red velvet, chocolate mousse, or anything with the word "cheese" in it, and I'm done for.  It doesn't matter if I'm trying to watch what I eat--to cut back on the fat or the sugar, the carbs or the calories--all of that is swiftly swept from my plate as soon as I hear someone say "there's cake!"

The problem becomes obvious when you consider that cutting back, which would amount to a balanced and healthy diet, is important to me too.  The choice to eat that cake, or at least consider the consequences, is usually one that's made too swiftly and at a cost typically unconsidered.  If there's a battle raging between the voice that says "mmmmm, cake!" and the voice that says "no," well, it's generally a blood-bath.  "Mmmmm" wins every time, usually without even trying.

Now you may ask, "so what?" or "where's the harm?"  Welcome to my warfare!  You just joined the "mmmmm" army and you're about to help win another battle.

A long time ago, in his own process of reflection, someone by the name of Paul opined in a similar, if not more general fashion:  "I do what I don't want to do."

All these years later, most of us are still fighting that same battle.  But I've a hunch that victory for the underdog is in the works, and in these waning days of fasting and reflection, I'm doing what I can to listen to the quieter voices of reason.  I'm doing what I can to take the time to reflect for a moment longer than usual before leaping for that fork.

Because as much as I may want that cake, I also know that Easter's coming, and the impossible is just waiting to happen.

"With God, all things are possible."

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed season!  Follow this blog at www.realacorns.blogspot.com.  Follow me on twitter: @stevefiechter.  And if you find these reflections to be useful, be sure to share them with your friends and family!

Peace to all....Steve

So Hungry!

Every Wednesday my partner and I observe a fast.  We abstain from eating and we drink only watered-down juice.

Our fast serves several purposes:  it is like a reset button on our diet, it reduces our total caloric intake, and it gives our insides an opportunity to rest from the onslaught of our modern on-the-go diet.  By reducing our food consumption we reduce our impact on the planet.  Fasting also reminds us that there are many who regularly go without enough to eat--and not by choice.

Call it what you will, but we find it to be a healthy and meaningful practice.

The thing is, when I don't eat for a whole day, I get really HUNGRY!  And sometimes, in that hunger, I gain new insights into other ways that people experience hunger.  In fact, for many, it's not about food at all--but about love.  It seems to me that our world is simply starving for it.

And what's the cost?  When Jesus told his disciples to feed the crowd of people who had come to hear him preach they were understandably hesitant (not to mention a bit stingy...).  But love isn't a food that is depleted by sharing it.  When we give love we don't have less--we have more.  And it is entirely possible that those with whom we "share the love" are starving for it.

I wonder how many gunmen would have set down their weapons had they been adequately fed--were they not starving for love.  I wonder how many fits of rage could have been avoided had those who raged only experienced love.  An eye for an eye?  I wonder...don't you?

It's really not very hard.  There is love in a smile, in a polite gesture, in a kind word.  There is love in a compliment rather than a complaint, in a simple "thank you" and an understanding glance.  There is love in a gentle touch that casts out fear.

And in the end there might just be enough to go around after all.

"We do not live by bread alone..."