Food For Thought: Today's Lunch. A Simple Salad.

So here's today's lunch offering: A simple salad.

That's my usual lunch some 80% of the time. This lunch is not much different. There's some baby spring greens, mango, cucumbers, baby peppers and fresh strawberries. I even sprinkled a few chopped maple roasted walnuts on top. Good stuff.

Oh and today, I took a ride on the wild side: I had a little macaroni salad.

I picked that up last week from the local supermarket. I was cleaning out the refrigerator last night and there was a little left in the container. It's only two or three forkfuls, but hey, I'm working on not wasting food.

Today's salad is small. On purpose. Why? Because I have such a hard time finishing it up. Most times, I make a big salad in the mornings. I get all excited about getting my raw produce for the day. But there have been a few times that I haven't been able to eat my whole salad. I would have as much as a third to a half of it left over.  And when I do, I tend to save it for the next day. But I can count about 5 times in the last couple of years that I just threw it out.

I don't like when that happens. Yes, it's only been a handful of times that it happened. The amount is negligible really. But I buy mostly organic produce, and it gets expensive at times.

So I offer to share with people. Of course I hear the screams of "Girl, ain't nobody trying to eat no salad!" 

I can understand that!

But these days, if I feel my salad is too big, or that I'm not really in the mood for it, there's someone near me, in a cubicle diagonally across from mine, who is a vegetarian.  We'll  just call him Bob.

"Bob, you wanna share my salad?"

"Sure," he says.

I did the same thing yesterday. We were looking at his meal of green beans and some type of navy beans. Now the last time he cracked open his lunch, it smelled so good that us ladies had him dialing up his wife immediately and getting her to relay the recipe. But this day, it looked like he had put his lunch together himself...

He had what he had and a little of my salad and he was all good. And I was too! 

So now, I can share my salad with someone, and it doesn't go to waste. I give it to him before I even touch it and he gets some and gives it back, only if he wants it. At least nothing goes to waste.

It's a small thing. But it means a lot for me.

Seed sown. (And you know how I feel about seed, fruit, trees, and roots).

I get creative when I sow seed. It ain't always about money. No. That would drive me batty. And it gives me opportunity to work on my selflessness.

This is on my mind because I am constantly thinking about sowing. I once told someone that if I could sow HOURLY, I would.  And I like to be creative. Sowing could be a nice compliment and other intangibles. Or even sharing my lunch with someone.

I was talking about this with a couple of folks. We were talking about my sister, who I think is the most compassionate person on the planet. I was telling them that unlike her, I have to work on it. I guess it helps being some kin to her. I have to work on it, but she has always been that way. I am just now getting to the point now that it's just my automatic. And that's what I want.

And sometimes it starts with today's lunch... the sharing of a simple salad.