For the love of onions
(Previously published on 12th January 2015)
I am not sure I have met anyone yet that enjoys cutting onions. As much as I enjoy cooking, cutting onions is always a task. Like YIKES, do they make the eyes tear.. We all try to run from them sometimes, and even beg someone else to bear the cross on our behalf. Lool!! I even heard someone invented goggles for them – Anyone tried them yet? But what about the smell on your hands? Hmmm… Or the after smell in your mouth? Hmmm… No comments.. There are certainly things to put us off onions.
Yet this same onions is such an essential ingredient for many delicacies. I would not buy Suya (a Nigerian meat treat) for example, without sliced raw onions. Many of our stir fries and even salads would not feel right without onions. And oooo, how can I forget caramelised onions – YUMMY!! You almost forget that they are onions, just as you almost forget onions are onions in many dishes.
So where are my going? Onions are smelly things that make you cry and can leave a funny taste in your mouth. Yet they are a meal essential that can be spiced, shaped and fragranced into whatever is desired.
Friends there are experiences we don’t like but would somehow go through. They would be painful, make you cry, and make you wonder why ME? Why do I have (or had) to go through this? But time is a great healer and teacher, and with it you find essential learnings and developments through the experience, which you can spice, shape and fragrance as you wish.
Don’t get it twisted – Bad experiences are exhausting. But don’t let the teary, bitter, smelly taste put you off completely. It hurts, but we can turn the hurt into good soup for the soul.
Don’t give up on the onions – Spice it up as you wish.
**I can turn my negatives into positives mindset**
© Dr Vivian O. Ikem, 2014
(Previously published on Facebook in October 2014)
Dr Viv
Vivian (Dr Viv) is as vivacious and full of life as her name ‘Vivian’ suggests. She is a Certified Coach, People Builder, Consultant, Speaker and Trainer with a passion for helping ambitious Leaders and individuals build resilience, rediscover their value and potential and thrive in work and life. She is also a Chemical Engineer by background (with a PhD), multiple award winning researcher, ex-management consultant with a top UK based Consulting firm and Founder, The Reset Squad. Inspired by her journey as a high achieving professional and recovering perfectionist who overcame major trauma, depression and sudden change, Vivian taps into her invaluable lessons learnt, to empower and help people reset, rediscover and grow through their experiences. She is the author of Shadows in the Mirror - The Many Faces of Depression and contributing author in Unzenable – A Guide to Stress Less and Be More. To know more, please check out the 'About Vivian' page. Vivian is also available to speak on or discuss issues you may wish to take further personally, or at events. Please use the 'Contact' page to get in touch. Thank you.