Rooting New Habits

Cultivate only the habits that you are willing should master you. ~Elbert Hubbard

It's been a little over three weeks since my teacher Jehangir Palkhivala was here. Time enough for a bare stalk of sugar cane, set in water, to start growing roots and shoots. It's been in my kitchen since the day we  headed out toward Hamakua after a discussion on the benefits of jaggery and raw cane juice.

Armed with a machete we bought in Waimea, Jehangir chopped several stalks growing by the roadside near Honokaa and once back in Kona, he peeled and cut them into bite sized pieces so we could chew and suck on raw cane. That's when I decided  to grow one of the dark, deep purple canes.

As I was holding the growing stalk in my hands today and wondering if it was ready to be planted, it illustrated Jehangir's teachings: given time and faith, it grows and transforms. The exchange of notes and experiences among other workshop participants also continues to grow and folks are making subtle, yet dynamic changes.

The foods and eating plan that Jehangir suggested as a way to balance body energies, weren't difficult at all for me to follow for the requisite 21 days. I had no physical ailment I was trying to cure but lost five pounds, my skin feels well hydrated and I've fallen in love with different foods and tastes. Clean, unadulterated, straight up from the ground stuff. No animals. What I'm hoping to plant along with my purple sugar cane is the habit of eating clean and save the unconscious eating for another, oh maybe...21 days.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.-Viktor Frankl