Secret Sauce - The Next BIG Thing!

We live in a sound-byte world these days.

We hear things in headlines (thanks CNN) and absorb 'on the fly' preferably having easily digestible information spoon-fed to us (thanks Twitter - and yes, I'm a junkie myself) so no judgments here, but:

WHEN do we make time to be STILL?

Do we know how anymore?

I find myself wondering.  Lately, though I'm noticing a trend.  A backlash of sorts against the noise, against the commercialism and packaging, against pre-processed information, food, and fervor.

We've become so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it all that we dulled our senses for a long while... being lulled into a dreamless sleep 24/7.  But now, the tide has started to turn and I feel as if I'm watching generations starting to wake up.  We're rubbing our eyes like 2 year old's rising from an extended nap and looking around our world trying to get our bearings mouthing the words "Where am I?" and "how did we get here?" as we scan the room.

That's why movies like The Blind Side grab our imagination because here was a woman who was awake in the moment, who paid attention to what was actually happening and then ACTED on behalf of someone else...

Through this awakening - we're standing up as if called to action and attention - and we're now asking about things like the food we eat:  Is it organic?  Is it locally grown? Where did it come from?

Sidebar:

I get nostalgic on this one.  I grew up in Rural WV where my grandparents (who lived across the alley right behind our house) had a beautiful vegetable garden.  They were first generation Italian Americans who lived through the Great Depression and who LOVED to cook and eat!  It was my Papaw's pride and joy (next to his grandkids of course).  From that garden he canned the most perfect sauce, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes - you name it!  But more than that, we had fresh cheeses, fresh bread, and fresh meats too.  I look back now and realize how incredibly blessed I was to grow up this way...

Back to Topic:

We're asking about information resources:  Who can we trust? Is there anything that's not biased anymore?

We're asking about the environment and jobs:  about finding what makes us happy vs. a paycheck alone?  About how to contribute to the world rather than just take from it.

In short -

I think the Next BIG Thing is that we're FINALLY starting to remember that it's actually the LITTLE things that matter! The little details like fresh garlic and cheese (Sundays off with family and friends) added to tomatoes (church or social outings) and olive oil (maybe producing something like a garden or volunteering as a coach) that make your LIFE's sauce SO good!

The key here is for you to pick your own FRESH ingredients to give your sauce it's flavor... and to take the time to BE STILL so you can stand over your stove and smell it cook, taste test it, lift your kids or grandkids up to taste it too (teaching moments) and then add a dash of sugar (kiss on the cheek) to reduce the bitterness before sitting down to enjoy it!!

It's time we start to dream again about what's really important in and for our lives!  THINK about it, makes some notes for yourself (WRITE) and then make one small change THIS WEEK (come on, now, you gotta BELIEVE you can - no excuses)...

and then ACT accordingly.

Take the time to BE STILL - to notice your own world around you - and when you do, you'll SEE all the wonderful ingredients waiting to make up your Secret Sauce!

       THINK.       WRITE.       BELIEVE.       ACT.