Tocineta en tu quinua

A fanciful name, this time in Spanish. What could it mean? I mean, bacon in your quinoa. What would happen if you were sitting with someone and suddenly, they threw their bacon into your bowl of quinoa? What would you do? Of course, you’re a decided vegetarian and have chosen your breakfast plate consciously. But who chooses quinoa for breakfast? It happened; now what?

It was just a whim, a moment to remember when spontaneity got the best of you, and you did something crazy. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t have absolute confidence in the other person and knew that she would probably scream and then laugh with you but, in the end, it wouldn’t be a big deal because there is a special relationship between the two of you.

If it is not too dark

Go for a walk if it is not too dark.
Get some fresh air, try to smile.
Say something kind to a safe-looking stranger if one happens by.
Always exercise your heart’s knowing.
You might as well attempt something real along this path:
Take your spouse or lover into your arms
The way you did when you first met.
Let tenderness pour from your eyes
The way the Sun gazes warmly on the earth.
Play a game with some children.
Extend yourself to a friend.
Sing a few ribald songs to your pets and plants –
Why not let them get drunk and wild?
Let’s toast
Every run we’ve climbed on Evolution’s ladder.
Whisper, “I love you! “I love you!”
To the whole mad world.
Let’s stop reading about God –
We will never understand Him.
Jump to your feet, wave your fists,
Threaten and warn the whole Universe
That your heart can no longer live
Without real love!

Hafiz

When love is there, every act is a manifestation of the hand of God delightfully playing in every moment of your life. Don’t you think the big guy likes to laugh and shake things up? Don’t hang on too tight to your ideas because He is bound to put them to the test. He is like a grandfather who wants his grandkids to have fun. Mothers might become exasperated, but how can you fault grandfather? After all, he is the Grand Father.

Isn’t one of the biggest mistakes that shape our lives the idea that we take ourselves too seriously? Our opinions land us on opposite sides of an argument, often with no peaceful resolution. We join political parties, and the rest of the world becomes our enemy. We walk on a spiritual path and are suddenly better than everyone else. This idea of having “arrived” or having achieved something important in our lives might even prevent us from learning something new. Our thinking, without question, defines us. We work hard for our opinions, and we hold on to them. Family, education, and job security contribute to us having an opinion. You look around you and say, “How could anyone eat meat nowadays, or milk, or cheese, or butter, or anything that takes away from the newborns of any species?” And your arguments are probably more than justified. Especially in a world economy that is suffering from global warming, GMO seeds (genetically modified), cost of meat production, best use of depleting water resources, and the list goes on.

Yet, we are trying to live together, and that idea of “living together” might be the most important thing we do. It is walking together and genuinely sharing the ideas that stimulate us and make us want to change for the common good. It is also the ability to take a step back and look at where you’ve come from, just as someone else is doing the same thing. Love is contagious and allows us to reach people, share our views, and perhaps plant a seed in someone else’s heart. It’s about goodwill, and if I find the “good” inside of me, I’m sure I’ll be able to see it inside of you.

Nevertheless, these are confusing times but ones in which you can have a voice and make a difference. Years ago, a young Swedish girl tackled climate change issues and spoke plainly to the world’s leaders. Maybe you remember her, Greta Thunberg; in 2018, she was 15 when she started taking on world leaders. Today, at 21, she still speaks directly about the dangers we all face regarding climate change. She believes we are running out of time, and there are people to blame – us! Or, more specifically, government and business leaders who have failed to make the decisions necessary to fight emissions of CO2 and to effectively communicate the situation in which we find ourselves to the world’s populations. Don’t we all need to be concerned about the world we are leaving behind for future generations: for your children and my granddaughter?

I know that this started as a light-hearted commentary on not letting your views get in the way of your humanity, of being able to see humor in the smallest and the most absurd moments of life, and, I suppose, of hoping that you will begin to see the world through a more compassionate viewpoint. But without you even trying, events around you change your perspective. How can a little Swedish girl go to Davos, Switzerland, and sleep in a tent in the middle of winter for her ideas? I want to see if my efforts to change can make a difference in the world. If it means becoming vegan, then so be it. I never thought I’d say those words, but if a little girl can do it to try and save the world, who am I not to?