“Oh Nuts!”

Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be writing a blog entry based upon nuts, but yet, here I am doing just that very thing. I must be nuts! If you asked my wife, I am sure she would confirm that for you.

So, how did I get to this point?

I’ll try to keep it short. I work at a monastery bakery making fruitcakes. It’s a very, very manual process – no automation what-so-ever, just a big ol’ floor mixer, industrial oven and lots of cake pans and rolling tables. Pretty much everything is done manually by the monks and myself. Once the batter is mixed, it is scooped into the pans (by hand), leveled in the pan (by hand) and the cake decorated with pecans and cherries (by hand) – like I said, a very manual and time consuming process.

So, where do the decorator pecans originate? The pecans (whole, shelled) arrive at the bakery in 30 lb boxes. Whenever we need decorator pecans, we pull out a box. Simple, right? Well, not really. You see, the pecans are described as “whole” but during shipping some of them break, so before we can use a box, the pecans need to be sorted into “broken” and “whole”.

So, guess what my “job” was for today? Yup, I was the decorator pecan sorter. And that is how I got the inspiration for this blog entry.

What was it about the mundane task of sorting pecans that inspired me? Actually, I’m not really sure. I found myself thinking, “none of the nuts are wasted. The ‘broken’ nuts are put into a container and then used as an ingredient for a future batter. The ‘whole’ nuts are used as decorators.”

Which lead to, “neither of the nuts are ‘better or more valuable’ than the other. Both are needed to make the fruitcake.”

So, why isn’t it that way with humans?

Why is it that we as a society marginalize or shun those that we deem “broken”? I’m talking about the elderly, the physically/emotionally/developmentally disabled and those that are part of “Generation Alphabet” or any other generation that isn’t “ours”. Basically, “broken” is defined as “unlike myself”.

Why is it that we do the same based upon skin color, education level, income level, ethnicity, race or whatever means you use to “categorize” people? Who is it that decides who is “broken” and who is “whole”? Society? Those in “power”? Tell me, “who”?

What is wrong with us? Why do we do this? Must we do this?

Shouldn’t every single person matter? Doesn’t every single person matter?

God placed each and every one of us on this “little blue planet” for a reason. Each and every one of us – no matter our color, beliefs, etc…we were all placed here for a reason.

Seems there’s always “chatter” about “making the world whole”, but we’re all just standing around waiting for “someone else” to do it. Or maybe we’re being told “it needs to be done this way, but not that way” and “include this, but not that”.

Really? You think THAT’S going to work?? Doesn’t “whole” mean “everything, everyone, complete, in its entirety”?  Did I miss something?

Well, I’m here to tell you…it needs and must begin with you.

How are you going to change who & what society has told you you are?

When are you going to start? Right now? Tomorrow? Or are you going to “take a few days to think about it”, then never think about it and NEVER get started?

I saw this quote from Peter N. Nielsen on Facebook –

“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t you so you can finally be who God meant you to be in the first place.”

My response –

“Let the journey begin!”