SPIRITUAL CONTAMINATION

In this challenged world we all need to address civility.. be it environmental issues, personal relationships, or the messages and examples we set for others and our children. I recently was thinking about how easily things unravel if we are not mindful.Someone chided me recently for not taking a plastic bag from a store when the items I purchased could clearly be transported with out the bag. The response was "what was it with my green thing??? one bag was not going to make a difference..and yet if one person every hour of the day made the same decision all over the world ...can you imagine how many bags that would be??? and YES one bag does make a difference. so does one gesture of civility..one deep breath and a loving explanation or lesson taught.... lesson learned......

I was in a restaurant last night using the ladies room and someone kept jarring at the door and knocking.I kept saying "sotto voce" that the facility was occupied ..When I eventually opened the door ( mind you I am a person in the loo lines dream..rapid and no frills) there stood 2 girls (sisters?) 12 and maybe 17 years of age..they pushed past me w/o a polite acknowledgement and closed the door.. This kind of behavior is taught and not curbed..

but as I have always believed when a shadow is near a ray of light is not far behind..

Several minutes later the hostess sat a young mother with 2 little girls next to us..They were very hungry ,inquisitive about the menu and sat down ceremoniously. The mother asked them questions about what they would like to eat lacing the choices with an explanation of why their father was not joining them.It is Super Bowl weekend and Daddy is with his college friends..What is Superbowl?? who are you rooting for? what fun dialogue to be privy to..The mother explained when she was younger she didn't care for sports much... but that was because she didn't understand them.. her husband had introduced her to his love of sports.....when you love someone,sharing the things they like brings you closer together..She went on to explain when she was dating,,(and I dated a lot of men) she wanted to be with someone that would make a nice father.. ..when she met their father she knew instantly that he was the one.. he liked doing new things and was flexible..also it didn't hurt he was very cute and funny...chosing someone you can be friends with is very important... she continued.. gnawing on a Chinese spareib with gusto...

Over at the next table I couldn't help but feel warmed by this generosity..Given the array of media that gender bashes..divides and chides.. this woman's account to her young daughters (who were maybe 3 and 6).. was weaving a soft world of tolerance using the meal and the Super Bowl as her vehicle..How different the lesson would have been if she had chosen another familiar path of anger..diminishing their father for being with his friends ect..An emotional torch of security was being passed forward silently as they ate their meal..The 3 year old spent her meal time career gently slurping through a bowl of miso soup...lost in her own world of steamy bliss.....

I have to laugh because I know if my own daughter was with us ...she could have predicted my contact..As we left the restaurant I spoke to the mother and told her how refreshing it was to witness such a loving mother and made a joke about her daughter's love for Miso.......( its the earthy salt.. ohhhhhh yum)

It wouldn't be difficult to recreate the first scenario with HER girls outside the bathroom door.

So many of the ills in society are taught not instinctual..the excepti0n perhaps the survival of the fittest.... which is where civility enters....it is work to be tolerant...requiring patience and sifting..however what a beautiful starting point for many a change in the world..one gesture at a time..one less plastic bag..

The photos below are green points in my garden..Vervaine ( lemon verbena) is the herb... in the pot is a small chartreuse shrub.... I love planting items in pots of different heights to add volume to the garden..

SALSA OVEN CHICKEN

Purchase 6 chicken thighs and 8 legs

place these in a bowl and micro wave for 4 minutes

Mix up 4 cloves of crushed garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil,, several pinches each of oregano,cumin,and rosemary..season with salt and pepper

add 2 cups of red salsa ....adjust heat with chili sauce

Pull the skin gently away from the thigh or leg and gently stuff the salsa mix between the meat and the skin (like a little pocket)

Place the stuffed pieces .. stuffed side up...in a shallow baking dish close together..drizzle with any remaining sauce.

Bake in a 450 degree oven and monitor the meat to make sure it does not burn..once one side is well crisped..turn each leg and thigh..and continue cooking.

Serve with rice and salad ...these are even better 2 days later...