One day as I peeled an onion, I thought to myself “Life is like an onion…”
I have to admit that for the majority of my life and up until the past month I HATED onions. There is no one whom I’ve ever known that hated them any more passionately than I did. I think some days as I peel them now how my mom and the rest of my family would never believe that they have become a staple on the dinner table. For all of these years, separate potato salad had to be made because I (still) don’t like raw onions. Anything cooked with onions or any onion sighting meant immediate dismissal and being cast off to the side of the plate or thrown into the trash with a disparaging “Yukkkkkkk!”. As the burger came through the window from the drive thru and I could tell with one whiff that an onion had somehow found it’s way on to my burger. I would hand it right back to them and say “there is an onion on my hamburger”. They would look at me with a quizzical look wondering how in the heck I knew it without opening the packaging. They would then scowl, open it and examine it closely always to find a speck of an onion which made the entire hamburger inedible. You could read their face as I would shake my head and dare them to try to pass that burger back to me after removal. You can remove some things without a residual taste, but not an onion. Like life, it lingers long after the initial impact and long after you’ve had a real good taste of it. Even the slightest brush with it makes its mark.
I don’t know what changed exactly or whatever even encouraged me to try steaming and eating onions, but now I love them – steamed, fried brown with lots of ketchup or on a sloppy hamburger! Yum! I pondered the situation and began to draw the correlation of things that we can’t stand growing up, how our tastes change and how as we peel away layer after layer, we get to the smooth underbelly of ourselves. You have to admit, we are a bit crusty when we first start out. (Maybe that’s necessary to protect us from the dirt we usually get ourselves into as we are growing up.) But as we mature and develop into the person we are to ultimately become, we shed the rough exterior, dig deeper and begin to pay attention to what’s underneath. We mellow, become sweeter, like things we never liked before, try things we’ve never tried before. Our goals, our dreams, our aspirations our beliefs of what is possible is buried layer upon layer until we get to the core of who we really are. It takes time and persistence to uncover ourselves through that outer shell or to get past who we look like just on the outside. After all, it is the inside that really matters. You have to admit, as you get cut into, it can be quite stinky and your eyes water a great deal through the process. Ultimately, though it’s something that we must all come to terms with. No one ever tells you how hard it will. We know it’s not an easy thing to get through but in the end it’s worth it. If we hang in there long enough, we get past the worst of it to where we can enjoy it, even love it and remember when it use to make us cry. And by the way, ketchup goes a very long way in covering up the taste long enough to enjoy the medicinal effect. They’re good for you, ya’ know? Known to lower cholesterol (is that before or after you fry them in oil?) and provide a great source of vitamin C. They are a long under rated plant. Come to think of it, are they a vegetable or a fruit? What is an onion? Ever thought of that before? Just stopping in your busy, hectic life to ponder an onion? Try it sometime. Go to the refrigerator, pop open up the hydrator, pull out an onion and stare at it. Peel back the flaky stuff and notice the shell exterior that clings to it like skin. They are and we aren’t really all so different. Some are sweet, some are strong, some are big, some are small, some are white, some are yellow, some are green, some are red, but underneath there’s the basic onion flesh, all the same. Some are more pungent than others, but all are critical components in adding flavor to our experiences. Without onions, what would life be like? Without life, what use would I have for onions?
Stop today and ponder the simple things in life…. Dig deep back to the goals and dreams you had as a child. Dust them off and make a plan and a commitment to yourself to take a step every day toward one of them. As you peel your next onion, remember that life is like an onion. Dig deep within yourself to find that core you and dig into what makes your life have zest and vitality. Imagine for a moment everyone’s life without onions. It would be bland, boring, we’d use too much salt and nothing would ever take the place of the flavoring that only onions can provide. You are like an onion – no one can fill the spot in other people’s lives like you do. Nothing can replace you. No one can be you. Celebrate the life that is yours and yourself as you cherish each and every day. Life is like an onion – make it steamy, oily, slop it up and most of all enjoy it!
To Your Success,
Tracy
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