Yes, if you take care of a man by his stomach, do not forget to remind him of the connection between life and the ingredients you feed him.
If you ever wonder how you can begin to feel a moment of gratitude, I recommend you to ponder over the ingredients in your daily dishes.
Recently, I wrote about salt. I am bringing you something different today.
Walnut…
Walnut is my favorite. Especially when it is still in its shell. It makes me smile when I need to use my strength to crack it instead of using the tool. I see how much the outer layer protects its fruit within. The fruits within becomes lovely or otherwise depends on the outer layer’s careful management.
Life is the same.
Pehlivan Hamza Usta, Turkmenistan
Hamza Usta, who lived in the era of the Abbasid Dynasty, was a dervish under Pir, Shaykh Yusuf Hemedani.
He told this story to Shamsuvar, the leader of the Sazlik District near Baghdad city when he was stirring a pot of porridge for the poor people in Sazlik. The pot of porridge was cooked during Ashura. Each ingredient represents something meaningful. One of them is the Walnut.
Walnuts tell the journey of search for truth. Walnut shell is the rule of life. They are rules set for us to follow. If you abide by these rules, your heart is warm and safe. If you keep defying everything in the law, you are burning yourself. — Hamza Usta, Mavera
We all live by rules. Family, country, religion, and so on consist of regulations to follow. Everything has its methodology of practice. It is called the way of life. When everything goes accordingly, the result is beautiful. When you take the rules for granted, hiccups will happen.
You need the law (methods), but the focus is the fruit (goal)
Hamza Usta reminded Shamsuvar of more than just abiding by in-laws. The focus is the truth we seek.
The essence between the shell and its fruit (walnut) is the truth (result) that you seek. The shell protects the walnut within just like pearls. If the shell is good, the content inside is sweet. The nut is delicious.
The fruit is either good or bad, sweet or bitter, and so on. If you follow your faith according to what it tells you to do rightfully, you taste sweetness in the Lord.
A lot of people get frustrated with rules or methods. The focus isn’t on these. We only take the step by step procedures accordingly as methods needed. Our focus is primarily the promises at the end of it. Our joy is in the process of the journey. Who do you enjoy your work with?
I found joy writing alongside my mentors’ articles. When I see the authenticity of what my mentor wrote, and I absorbed the energy from his writings, I enjoyed my writing too. Or at least, I enjoyed reading and reading.
Who you enjoy your journey with matters most.
Take a banana cake for example. You will not want to skip an ingredient from the recipe. You will not want to cut down or add too much of everything from its scale. If you do not follow the recipe, your banana cake will not turn out good and delicious, my friend.
I keep it short till here. I hope you can find meaning in the ingredients you put into your food daily. 🌹Take care of your heart because from it springs issues of life. Amin.
