What keeps us alive is pain?! Of course, not the pain itself, but the challenge of getting through to the other side - for that is how I see pain, some kind of river that needs crossing.
One of Buddha's lines of wisdom has to do with leaving the boat behind that enabled one to cross the river: to carry the vessel is an unnecessary burden. The crossing is an arrow, pointing onwards.
There are some people who think that crossing one river in life is enough.
There are some people who haul cargoes of kayaks and canoes behind them, and they are always hot and bothered by that load. They cannot see what is in front of them, for the weight of their cargo pulls their eyes behind.
Love, when we find it, if we are doing what it takes to reach it, is not so much of an effort as some are led to think. The sacrifice turns out to be voluntary, and one sees that while the going can get tough, the heart has had its say, and it is better to cooperate. (The heart, in this context, which I have not fully explained, is a kind master, happy to lavish rewards.)
Being in love (though I do think there are different categories of it; it is possible to have very deep love for friends) is akin to paradise; one is working, but it does not seem like work at all.
And I am sure you know that one of the more paradisaical fruits is the tomato. Its etymological origin in old French, Austrian German and many Slavic languages is arguably connected to paradise and connotes Biblical images of royal gardens. The word "tomato" is said to have stemmed from the obsolete pom d'amour, apple of love.
Which brings me to the next order of the day: tomato conserva. I made some from this recipe (via the kitchn), and given that I do not own a food mill, I spent a laborious amount of time straining the tomatoes through a sieve, which ultimately led to a smaller yield, causing me to think the whole affair a waste of time. But if you have a convection oven (so much faster), or a food mill, hear this: what a mouth-watering tomato product it is! Wow.
So, in our affairs of the heart or on our strolls through our proverbial royal gardens or as we get a taste of paradise, may we be light in our hearts, and leave all the crossed rivers behind us, as decorative memories. Look at this statue below, thought to be erected near to a place of burial (a similar, male statue was found near by); who is she who is light enough to go forth with but a single flower in hand?
Elements: retro frame: minitoko;
glitter circles, honeycomb background, cabochons, crepe garlands: pugly pixel.
