The Fasting Verses (cont.)
12 years ago
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Less is More
Always.
Let me begin by saying that this message was presented to me in multiple formats this week. The first example would make an excellent candidate for a space I usually reserve for my research rants. After a losing battle with an experiment where I kept increasing my starting material to a frightening amount, I won it by going in the opposite direction (to a startlingly low amount, though that should definitely be commented upon in the other space).
The second instance was in my refrigerator. For someone who gets a migraine from shopping, I make an exception for groceries. I cannot help but fall in love with bright and colorful looking fresh produce and on my last trip to the farmer's market I stocked my fridge to choking point anticipating 2 busy weeks ahead with no time to stop for fuel (of the food kind). In the end, it turned out the 2 very busy weeks, were too busy to set aside much time for cooking and a good amount of that very attractive produce died a silent, cold death and was transferred to a compost bin earlier this week. Nothing bothers me as much as waste does, and throwing away all that food made me wince as realization dawned that some principles of simple living are as true today as they were centuries ago: Buy fresh, buy often and buy a little at a time. Another quick tip for anyone who'd care to read: I heard on the Dr.Oz show last night that the age old warning of not storing potatoes and onions in the refrigerator has a scientific basis after all. Keeping those vegetables in the cold increases their starch content and upon cooking turns it into acrylamide, something biologists have known to steer clear of for a while.
And finally, less of the material is more for the spirit. This is obvious when it comes to greed for money or power, or lust for all things transitory. But could this be true of activities? Could there be such a thing as having too many things to do? While this last month has been filled with a lot of events to attend, people to meet, places to see and every other kind of thing in between, I somehow felt like I difted from one to another without a moment to pause and reflect deeply. I feel like there were certainly a few new things I learnt that I did not spend adequate time internalizing. Perhaps that's a signal to slow down and do a few things and to do them with all my being. Not that this is necessarily linked to the spirit in an obvious way, but I also realized that it was time to throw out some random junk that had accumulated unawares and sort through some other things that could find better use if donated.
At any rate, I hope I have convinced you that more often that not, less is quite plenty. And if you take nothing else away, I would certainly urge you to buy and eat fresh :)
Let me begin by saying that this message was presented to me in multiple formats this week. The first example would make an excellent candidate for a space I usually reserve for my research rants. After a losing battle with an experiment where I kept increasing my starting material to a frightening amount, I won it by going in the opposite direction (to a startlingly low amount, though that should definitely be commented upon in the other space).
The second instance was in my refrigerator. For someone who gets a migraine from shopping, I make an exception for groceries. I cannot help but fall in love with bright and colorful looking fresh produce and on my last trip to the farmer's market I stocked my fridge to choking point anticipating 2 busy weeks ahead with no time to stop for fuel (of the food kind). In the end, it turned out the 2 very busy weeks, were too busy to set aside much time for cooking and a good amount of that very attractive produce died a silent, cold death and was transferred to a compost bin earlier this week. Nothing bothers me as much as waste does, and throwing away all that food made me wince as realization dawned that some principles of simple living are as true today as they were centuries ago: Buy fresh, buy often and buy a little at a time. Another quick tip for anyone who'd care to read: I heard on the Dr.Oz show last night that the age old warning of not storing potatoes and onions in the refrigerator has a scientific basis after all. Keeping those vegetables in the cold increases their starch content and upon cooking turns it into acrylamide, something biologists have known to steer clear of for a while.
And finally, less of the material is more for the spirit. This is obvious when it comes to greed for money or power, or lust for all things transitory. But could this be true of activities? Could there be such a thing as having too many things to do? While this last month has been filled with a lot of events to attend, people to meet, places to see and every other kind of thing in between, I somehow felt like I difted from one to another without a moment to pause and reflect deeply. I feel like there were certainly a few new things I learnt that I did not spend adequate time internalizing. Perhaps that's a signal to slow down and do a few things and to do them with all my being. Not that this is necessarily linked to the spirit in an obvious way, but I also realized that it was time to throw out some random junk that had accumulated unawares and sort through some other things that could find better use if donated.
At any rate, I hope I have convinced you that more often that not, less is quite plenty. And if you take nothing else away, I would certainly urge you to buy and eat fresh :)
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