Spices in our food make the dish more pleasurable. Spices add depth to the flavors and thus to the enjoyment of our sustenance. Even a simple addition, such as salt, can really make the difference between edible and delicious food. Spice in our lives can do the same thing. I think many of us will agree living a bland life is not what we want. The spice in our life comes in situations and circumstances which enrich us in a myriad of ways. For example, a spice maybe going on vacation. This vacation may include a train ride, getting lost, meeting different people, trying new food, seeing different landscapes, and all the adventures of a vacation. There are also everyday spices like a good grade on your child’s spelling test, a flat tire, an illness of yourself or a loved one or even meeting your new best friend. Events like these add dimension to our lives.
Granted, some spice is not desirable yet seemingly necessary to really appreciate our lives. This could not feel more true right now for me as I get ready to euthanize two cats this weekend. So the spice is all the experiences I have shared with my cats over the better part of two decades. These beautiful cats were feral cats who may have rescued me in many ways. They are going to be leaving my physical daily presence yet not me and who I have become as a result of the spice they have brought to my life. I am different in ways I may never know. Am I already mourning the loss of these companions? Absolutely! Do I appreciate having had all of the experiences? Absolutely! My life is filled with more compassion, dedication, patience, love, and joy. Although the grieving process is not a desired spice, it can really honor loving relationships.
If you looked at events like spices, thus adding dimension to your life, would it help you find more peace in difficult times?