Soul Food: Understand It's My Garden

One
 of
 my 
favorite
 artists
, Miss Erykah Badu, sung 
in 
one 
of 
her earlier 
songs called Appletree.   I especially love this part of the song: "See I picks my friends, like I pick my fruit/ & Granny told me that I was only a youth/ I don't go 'round trying to be what I'm not/ I don't waste my  time trying ta get what you got/ I work at pleasin' me cause I can't please you/ and that's why I do what I do/ My soul flies free like a willow tree/ doo wee doo wee do wee/ And if you don't want to be down with me/ You don't want to pick from my appletree..."    

Now I want you to conceptualize 
yourself 
going 
in to
 a
 garden
 for 
the 
first
 time 
in 
your
 life. You 
only 
had 
the 
option 
of 
picking
 three 
pieces 
of 
fruit 
from
 this 
assorted 
tree.  

-How would your process go down? -Would 
it
 be 
rushed 
or 
would
 it 
be 
carefully 
thought 
out?

 -Would
 you
 think
 of
 the 
various
 physical
 elements
 that
 the 
fruit
 posses? -Would you consider 
the type of surface you would like to have, such as the 
soft
 or weak
? -Would you want something tough
 or fragile? -What would the color be? Would it be 
vibrant
 or
 possibly
 dull? And finally, would the piece
 you choose be 
much
 smaller 
or 
bigger 
than
 the 
others?   Understand that
 we
 as
 humans
 encompass 
more
 than
 just
 being
 physical 
beings. Our
 metaphysical/
spiritual
 selves
 have 
so 
much 
life 
that 
we
 have
 to
 remember
 to
 feed
 it 
as 
well. This notion is probably something that Badu understood well, which is why she also sang within her song: "And
 if
 ya
' don’t
 wanna
 be 
down
 with
 me,
 then
 you
 don’t 
wanna
 pick 
from 
my
 apple
tree.” Essentially, 
the 
mantra 
of 
“food 
for 
thought”
 has
 been
 adopted
 by
 so
 many.

 If 
one 
understands
 the
 power 
of 
energy, 
then
 one 
understands 
what 
it 
means
 to 
really 
feed 
the 
soul. 

   I 
have 
to 
tell 
myself 
in 
an
 ever‐growing 
stage
 of 
my 
life 
to
 choose
 my
 meals 
wisely -‐ 
as 
we
 all 
could
 be 
doing. Now,
 I 
won’t 
get
 in
 a
 long
 informative 
speech
 as to the the 
affects
 of certain
 foods
 on
 the
 body. But briefly, 
let’s 
discuss
 meats
 influence
 on
 the 
body.   I’m
 quite
 sure
 that 
all 
of
 us
 have
 attended 
those
 big
 dinners
 with 
family 
or 
friends 
that
 consists
 of 
some 
our 
favorite 
foods. You
 may
 not
 know
 what
 you 
will 
be 
eating
 before
 arrival, 
but 
it’s 
guaranteed 
that
 their 
will 
be 
a 
nice 
piece 
of 
meat
 waiting 
for
 you.
 At the 
conclusion
 of
 that 
meal,
 a 
vast
 majority
 of 
us
 have 
that
 sluggish
 (almost
 lifeless)
 feeling
 of
 “WHOOO,
 that 
was
 a great 
meal, 
I’m
 stuffed."   Now
 why
 is 
that?
   Well 
in 
short,
 meat 
has
 a
 large
 lifeless
 element
 to
 it 
in 
comparison 
to
 fruits
 and
 vegetables. And 
so 
do
 the 
experiences,
 people, 
choices,
 and 
thoughts 
that
 we
 have 
encountered
 in 
our 
lives. I’m
 suggesting
 that
 there
 is 
a 
distinct
 line 
between
 positive
 and
 negative
 energy
 that 
can 
only
 be
 seen
 if 
we 
take 
control
 of
 our
 consciousness ‐ 
the 
opposite 
of
 eating
 whatever 
is 
fed 
to 
us
 at 
any 
given 
time. 

This 
includes:
 being
 a 
“yes‐man;" not
 choosing
 our
 friends
 and 
associates wisely; 
forcing 
ourselves 
to 
be 
in 
situations
 that
 hinder 
our 
growth
 and
 values; and 
even 
refusing 
to 
eat 
anything.   A
 person 
who
 doesn’t
 want
 to 
eat 
anything
 at
 all 
is 
equivalent 
to
 a
 person 
who
 is 
close‐minded
 and
 isn’t
 willing
 to
 learn 
about
 themselves
 and 
their 
potential. We
 see 
this 
a 
lot 
when 
kids
 see
 that 
“funny‐looking” 
vegetable
, which they later end
 up
 loving 
more
 than 
their 
morning
 cereal.

   Taking
 control
 of
 our
 consciousness
 plays 
a 
great
 role
 in
 the
 energy
 that 
we 
will 
continue
 to 
have, 
or
 continue to not have. Imagine
 that
 your 
mind and 
all
 that
 surrounds
 you
 is
 a
 garden
 that
 has
 been 
with
 you
 since 
birth.

There
 have
 been 
sunny 
days
 that
 you’ve
 greatly
 appreciated,
 and
 there 
have 
also
 been
 rainy
 days
 in
 which
 you’ve
 had 
to
 adjust
 to.   At 
the 
end
 of 
the 
day, 
it 
is 
still 
your
 garden 
and
 you 
are 
the
 gardener
 - no 
one
 else.

 You
 choose
 what 
foods 
you
 will
 grow, 
you
 choose
 how 
often 
you
 plant
 seeds,
 you
 choose 
when
 you do and don't 
go 
into
 the
 garden if 
it 
is 
sunny 
or
 rainy,
 and 
you 
also
 choose
 who 
can 
enter
 your
 garden. From
 one
 gardener 
to 
another, 
I 
give
 your 
garden
 a
 rose.

 Love
 your
soul
 and
 give
 it
 that
 good
 food.   Peace.