Shananigans

Sip, sip and my taste buds are awakened, the ginger snappy, the lime brightens, and the honey sweetens. Water is life. I am sure you all have your own way of staying hydrated, but the standard H20 occasionally needs some embellishments. For me, with the gift of a lime tree in the yard, ginger being plentiful and cheap here in Hawaii, and honey being honey, my tongue has been tantalized by this easy, breezy drink of the Summer.

Before I give away the very obvious secret of this drink (the secret being there is no secret, just blend some shit together and sip), I want to mention what brought me this elixir. Don’t mind me while the next few paragraphs have nothing to do with this drink and everything to do with the time and intention it takes me to blend, cut, squeeze, drain, and sip.

I do believe I am in a chapter of my life where I am learning to slowwwww it alllllll downnnnn. It is a multi-layered, multi-input chapter. I also believe this chapter is actually an ongoing lesson and one I will keep learning everyday for the rest of my life.

The lesson being: To be.

Slow, moving with intention, being in the moment first raddled my anxious, get things done, check the boxes mentality, while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Myanmar. Slow took on cultural way of life. Slow to cook, slow to eat. Slow to leave, slow to arrive. Slow to communicate and tackle the task, slow to change. Slow.

My americanness demands efficiency, point A to point B. My americanness wants multitasking and instant gratification. My americanness craves packaged, pre-portioned snacks, take out food, canned drinks. My americanness wants to define the task, outline the steps, and then get after it.

My Myanmar chapter said fuck your to do list, fuck your agenda, fuck your predisposed idea of a way to live. My Myanmar chapter said sit down and wait and while you’re at, peel this pile of garlic.

The next input came with a global pandemic we are all still living through. Coronavirus has been another fuck you. Fuck the plans I had. Fuck the disillusioned idea that we ever had control of our tomorrows. A pandemic has been an unwanted slap in the face to my world to SLOW DOWN, once again. I have deepened the healing, taken stock of my gratitude.

Then, throw a revolution into the NutriBullet of life. Here the lessons are bountiful. The one lesson that keeps illuminating itself, is to not only slow down in my reactive emotions of anger, shame, guilt, confusion, but slow down and analyze my learning, then unlearn and relearn. Break down what I thought was true and build it back up with deliberate, intentional education.

So what does Myanmar, a pandemic, a revolution and ginger lime honey water have in common? Nothing and everything. The drink simply grasps the complicated message.

The message being something like this: To move away from instant; the bought soda or canned juices. To rethink the known; how do I make the basics of water a little more enchanting. To learn and relearn; make a mess, fuck up the balance of ginger to lime juice. To be inventive; put to use the lime growing in the yard.

I am not just sipping on my summer drink; I am sipping on a mentality.