The menu item was, from the words, difficult for me to imagine. What would seaweed, avocado, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and green apples taste like? How would it be presented? What kind of dressing would they use? Questions and more questions piled up. There were options I could choose that would come without all the questions. I also knew this was a chef recommendation, something to be explored, and potentially enjoyed.
When the dish arrived, I still did not know what to expect. While it was visually messy, it also felt as though it was put together with care. I wondered how it could do both. My first impression was more specific than I imagined, with its unusual miso, wasabi, and truffle oil dressing. I did not anticipate what I experienced. In addition to my rating recommendation to others, I found myself slowing down, savouring each taste along the way, reflecting, reconstructing, and imagining what this dish would be like when I tried it again in the future.
It is the morning after, and I am still imagining. I have invited Life’s whispers to have an active voice, sharing ideas on how I embrace a better future with repeats of the dish complemented by my other choices.
Living and reaching for the positive, for love, relationships, and joy, creates space for hope and opportunity. Whispers reminded me that life is never defined by what I avoided or did not do. Old warnings are as harsh now as they were when they were new. “Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but never enjoy themselves – even though they end up with a big funeral! I’d say that a stillborn baby gets the better deal.” (Ecclesiastes 6.3) I find life in reaching for joy, taking the risk in loving, and allowing one’s heart and soul to be embraced and loved when you know you do not deserve it.
My best moments follow my willingness to venture into the unknown. Last night was a five-star food experience. Today includes the possibilities of more.
