Jelly Bellys Friend or Foe.

It was when I found myself in the line up at a big name box store buying computer ink cartridges that I was overcome by the need (okay want) to purchase a tube of Jelly Belly jelly beans. I had a long drive to work ahead of me and thought I would appreciate the distraction, little did I know what new discoveries lay ahead of me. I was unaware, but in that tube were both Friends and Foes. For those who are unaware, Jelly Belly's label themselves as the first gourmet jelly bean, they have countless flavours of various tasty sensations, so many in fact that each package of beans comes with what I call a flavour menu!

I popped the top off the tube and poured out 4 beans. I put the first one in and savoured the experience, it was Sizzling Cinnamon bean..HOT DARN!!! this one turned out to be my favourite of the day, what a great start. Next, lemon lime, ZING! Then bubble gum, POP then cream soda YAHOO! I was on a role, each bean brought such excitement of flavour. I had made new four friends in those beans and I was so joyful!

Then it happened, WHAMMO.. toasted coconut. To be fair the concept is decent but once it mingles with human saliva and coats the taste buds it is more akin to licking your fingers after applying sun lotion. Totally unacceptable. But I decided that in order to rid my mouth of sun lotion flavour I ought to try again. So I poured out 3 more. The first was brown so I thought maybe just maybe a chocolate bean, but no..it was coffee. Folks that flavour needs to stay in a cup. It must never be hardened and formed into a sugary bean shape and yes I see the irony that coffee beans are actually real but I think they would have been more palatable than this little brown curiosity. Next two beans brought with them an overwhelming yawn, they were just okay but not spectacular. The first yawn was a variation of something strawberry the second was boring old orange. Blah Blah blah. Foe's had made their presence in the tube known, and they were powerful, and according to the menu, I knew I had not yet encountered the most deadly of foes, the black licorice flavour. EWWWW! A flavour so strong it takes 2-3 friend beans to counter attack the assault on the taste buds.

Fearing what flavour was next I began to visual inspect each bean before consumption. I was so afraid of these unsuspecting foes that even my darling sizzling cinnamon was looked at with suspicion causing me to wonder if it was a pomegranate in disguise. The result, I never regained the original joy of the first four beans. Paranoia, suspicion and lingering bad tastes even tainted my enjoyment of the next sizzling cinnamon bean.

Why the story, well it occurred to me that some of you would like a lighter story for a change. But more than that, I wondered if I was doing the same to people and experiences that I did to my jelly belly beans. I used to dive right in and savour life but after a few bad experiences I find that I hesitate suspiciously and examine carefully, trying to detect any foe like qualities before enjoying it. Yes, even things that I wholeheartedly love are often pushed aside for a later date so that I might feel safer or more ready to enjoy it. I want to savour life like I did with the first four beans, I miss that energy and excitement.

Sure I might encounter a foe once in a while but that is life. Much like a tube of beans, life also has blah moments, unpalatable moments and moments that make you cringe (black licorice). Life is worth the risk and now faced with the onslaught of a whole bunch of new people and experiences II find myself wanting to actively seek out and savour the awesomeness of what life can bring in Nassau. So onward I go, ready for the new!

A Pirates Life for Me

All week I have been singing a song that has the line "A pirates life for me". Actually I have only been singing the one line because that is all I know. Furthermore and quite sadly all I know about Pirates is from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean and the musical Pirates of Penzance so this blog will need to be read from a Hollywood perspective.. anyway back to the song...oops, great, now I have the song, "I am the very model of modern major general" in my head.. oops sorry, so do you !

Pirates have been on my mind as I have been preparing our home, family and pets for our move to Nassau. My Pirate thoughts have cheered me up and actually encouraged me to keep going. All the things that I believe being a pirate involves are really really fun (minus the violence and mutiny). Things like pretending I have a peg leg, singing awesome songs, my outstanding Johnny Depp impersonation and using the phrase "Me Hardee's" a lot. All of these have been my companion this week as I have been sorting and packing and yes they are fun but I have to admit that most of the encouragement from my Pirate thoughts is from the knowledge that there is a future adventure awaiting me in Nassau.

What adventure pray tell can come from these pirate themed thoughts? Again, not really sure but I do have some ideas that I think my Nassau Pirate adventure will lead me towards.

1. I have for the past 5 years worked primarily with kids whose parents could afford to cover the costs of therapy, I often gave huge discounts for those who could not afford it but the majority of those who sought my services could afford it. Will this new adventure for me allow me a place to work within and learn from a community who for the most part consider anything beyond groceries a luxury? I hope so, I have a huge passion for teen girls, there are so many obstacles for them no matter what demographic they come from, I cannot wait to see where I end up.

2. My treasures for the past 8 years, as you have read in my blog boxless treasures have been stored up within my house. I want the adventure of learning how to treasure people and experiences which God has planned for me over (way over) what I own or can tangibly hold.

3. Trust, it seems to me that Pirates have to learn to trust each other in order to gain the treasure, sure this breaks down when mutiny happens or one pirate gets more greedy than others but lets not use that part of my analogy right now. They journey together,depend on each other to do their job and share the treasure together. I want to learn how to better trust the community in which I find myself. I am such a solitary person. I can be completely content not seeing another soul for a really long time. But God has called me and challenged me to live life in community, this requires trust. The reward is and will be the joy of the connection with people from a community. The goal will be the feeling of connectedness. I want to be able to look at Me Hardees and raise my glass in a toast to our community that our lives point to the ultimate treasure, knowing God. I am looking forward to the adventure of figuring out where I fit in and where God has plans for me.

So yes, I want a pirates life.. without the violence and crime ..I want and look forward to the adventures of life in the Bahamas God has planned for me.So keep praying Me Hardees, our adventure is just about to begin.