Onions are SO FREAKIN’ DELICIOUS!
Cut ‘em up and fry ‘em in a pan with a little bit of oil.
That’s all you have to do.

Ever watch Onions Cook?
They start out So Big and Robust — Raw and Hardy Vegetable Chunks.
They’re Beautiful.
And they make you Cry.

Then, the Heat gets to them.
They separate into thin strips.
They start to sweat.
It looks like things are gonna’ be pretty bad for the Onion.

Sautee’ ‘em a Bit.

They start to grow limp, break down,
Can’t take it anymore.
Sometimes I feel like an Onion.

They surrender their current Form.
They grow soft.
Their Sweetness begins to Release.
They no longer make you want to Cry.
A bit like us, Growing Older…

The Heat continues.
There’s no let-up.
They begin to Darken.
Maybe burn a little.
They are not what they were.

They brown.
They thicken
Now slimy and out of shape
Will this Heat Never End?
These Challenges?
Must we sit in this, in spite of what it is doing to us?
Is there no way out of this situation?
Sometimes, the seeming lack of options can seem so daunting
And we question if we really are in the Right Place at the Right Time
But this is merely Illusion.

We cannot change it.
So We Change.
Transformation Occurs.

The Heat is So Pronounced.
Ever feel like that?
Like you just can’t take it anymore…
You don’t know what’s happening to You…
You’re not as you used to be
No longer Young and Robust and Fresh and New,
You are saggy and soft and Your Ass has been on the Fire too Long
And it Just won’t Quit!

You are Not Dying.
You are Not Defeated.
You are Sweetening…
You are Ripening…
Living into the Full Potential of that which you are Capable of Contributing to the World.
Give It!
Let Your Sweetness Out.
Embrace Transformation.
You are Delicious!

It is easy to judge.
Cooked
Brown
Burnt
You don’t write hit Musicals like LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA and you’re not solving the war against ISIS; You don’t sing like ADELE and you don’t paint like VERMEER
You just sit in your pan and Fry
You Bear the Heat
You Bear the Pain
And though you may not see it in yourself,
You Grow Sweeter with Every Moment

You only know what you see
What you Feel
Burning Ardor
Unbearable Fire
You stay
Because you have no choice.
Maybe you’d prefer to have been a shiny Red Apple
Or a Marvelous Colossal Pumpkin on display in a Lavish Cornucopia
A Bright Summer Strawberry
Or a Coveted Orange.

Yet You Fry.
You Cook Down.
You continue the process available to you.
You continue to Brown, more than you would have ever thought possible.
You feel you look ugly and could not possibly be of interest to anyone.

In these Moments,
Forget Not
You are the Sweetest of All.

You are the Secret to the Deliciousness of the BeefBurger
The Savor of the Pasta
The Very Basis of the Vegetable Casserole
The GivingThanks Day Feast Would lack its heartiness —
All of the Finest Most Impressive Repasts and Celebrations
Would be Lesser without You

Without your Sweetness
Without your Process
Without your Letting Go

Release
Bear the Heat
Get Burned a Bit
Accept where you are
How you Are
Who you Are
And what it is you have to Give

It takes the Time it Takes
And Life would be without Flavor
Without You.

The Aroma of Home would be nowhere near as Heartwarming
Did you know that is one of the tricks of selling a house?
You fry a pan of Onions just before a potential buyer comes in to look at it,
and that ubiquitous aroma effects an instant feeling of Home,
and Higher Value.

Perhaps you are not the most ornate
Not the Bold and Verdant Green of Gently Steamed Broccoli
Nor the Delicate Mystery of an Artichoke
Nor the Daring Earthiness of a Portabella Mushroom
Not as Rare and Sought-After as a White Truffle…

Perhaps you are just a part of Daily Life
There at Every Meal
Perhaps your contribution is underappreciated because it is everyday and not the splendor of Julienned Carrots, Zucchini and Yellow Squash…
Perhaps you feel you are nothing special
Perhaps you are not
Perhaps you feel like an Ordinary Miracle.

But we would all be sad to live in a World without Onions
Our Favorite Dishes would Lack Taste and Passion.

I am Grateful for their Sweetness
Simplicity
Flavor
Ubiquitous Presence
And Accessibility…

And I am learning to be Grateful for my Own.

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