WHY RUN BEHIND THE CURRY LEAVES?
“If you worry what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is” — Unknown
Curry leaves are a common ingredient in Indian households. It is cheap, available in plenty, and used in many Indian cuisines. I remember going to the vegetable market as a child, and curry leaves are often given as complimentary. Ask or do not ask — you always get a bunch of leaves. I never had any affiliation towards this leaf; I always preferred its bigger siblings like coriander, mint, or spinach. Curry leaves were always the ignored sibling of all leafy vegetables (at least in my opinion!)
When we moved to the Czech Republic, curry leaves became a rare commodity. It is mostly not available, but it is either expensive or available in dried form even if it does. When the ignored sibling of India became the Big Boss overnight, I slowly and steadily fell in love with it. I craved for it. This sudden shift in my attitude led to a variety of actions, reactions & emotions and, during this journey, reinforced some life lessons that are worth sharing. If you wonder what life lessons a curry leaf can teach us, you need to read this.
Let me continue my story with curry leaves. Now that curry leaves are a rarity, my brain tricked me into wanting more of it. During my travel to India, one of my bring-back-home was loads of these leaves in various forms — dried, fresh, powder, pickle, etc. As I went through this journey of acquiring, preparing, and packing these, I went through a grind of emotions — some positive but many that could have been avoided. I argued with my spouse over curry leaves (I’m not kidding!), went through fears & anxieties about carrying the leaves on the flight, fear of not keeping them fresh, etc.
As I returned from India and unpacked my suitcase, I asked myself some simple questions — “was curry leaves a Need or a Want?”, “Why crave for it when I ignored them for 40+ years?”; “Was it worth the anxiety”? As I carefully pushed the curry leaves into my freezer, I felt more burden within me.
As I self-reflected a bit more, it was clear that I ran behind the curry leaves for no reason. I was compelled to believe that curry leaves are a must-have in my kitchen. I went through the grass is greener syndrome. It is a way of thinking that can magnify our negatives and makes it difficult to appreciate our positives. It lead us to jump from one thing to the next, believing that acquiring what we do not have will improve our lives. It ends up in a vicious cycle, which adds more anxieties in our already loaded lives.
Some grass-is-greener experiences from my own life:
I always wanted to be a career-oriented woman, but now that I am one, I am envious of stay-at-home moms.
I always wanted to acquire precious metals, but now that I can afford some of these, I feel being simple is the best thing to be.
When I am close to thinking about being a stay-at-home mom, I experience sudden cravings for possessions.
Some common symptoms of this syndrome are a constant comparison with others and believing they have-it-all, pre-occupation with the past or future (ignoring the present), frequent need to escape from current reality, impulsiveness to acquire or possess.
I experienced some of these symptoms myself. But in the last year, I am a better person after practicing tiny bits of Minimalism — a lifestyle of living with less and being happy with, and more aware of what you already own. Minimalism gives more value to memories & relationships than worldly pleasures. It means fewer possessions, marked by clarity and purpose. It frees up from the passion for possessing; declutters our homes and mind; ultimately putting the focus on the most important aspects of life — health, family, relationships, joy, peace of mind, spirituality, and of course, some wealth (powered by clarity & purpose). Being content reduces stress levels, improves our outlook, relaxes our body, and makes life enjoyable. There is absolute freedom with contentment: freedom to be yourself, enjoy who you are, and live the life you were destined to live.
It is essential to re-train your brain if you have the grass-is-greener syndrome - a massive distractor for a contended life.
“There is no end to it” is a phrase I often tell myself to put a full stop to these ever-changing wants that my brain always tricks me. There is no end to what we want. Every wish for possessions leads to various emotions costing us our joy, happiness, peace of mind and added clutter. Having clarity on needs (must have) and wants (good to have) can be the most significant difference in the way we lead our lives. I don’t mean to say Wants should be ignored totally, but being aware about them is a perfect start and making right and conscious choices is the way to go.
What are some of the curry leaves that you are running behind? Do you WANT them or NEED them? Sit back, relax and introspect for yourself to make the right choices for a contended life. Remember, happiness is a state of mind. So, go for it and let it not slip through the clutter!
I have previously written some articles which contributes to leading contended lives — do catch these articles here : Gratitude — the magic pill of life, the three friends everyone knows!
