“Never forget that you are the salsa on the taco of life. I mean, it’s technically still a taco without you. But it’s flavorless and dry. Life without you is a sad taco.”

This online post started me thinking about what we add that’s of value to life.

What’s in a taco?

The staples…

Lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, meat, or plant-based protein are some of those essential ingredients.

Similarly, life staples are…

Birth, death, loss, milestones, growth, mistakes, success, failure, laughter, tears, sadness, joy, and love. There are some things we will not get away from. They happen to us all.

And often, within that reality, we can be convinced that there is nothing additional.

We can only see the basic ingredients.

Nothing else.

What’s in salsa?

But there IS salsa.

Those staples often include tomato paste, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro. Zesty things. Extraordinary ingredients besides the basics, like lettuce and tomato.

Likewise, when it comes to us, the extras can include things like unique spark, unique joy, unique personal meaning, unique victories, and unique self-discovery.

“Unique” is code for “zesty.”

These are as one-of-a-kind ingredients, as special and stand-out as snowflakes.

And they deserve to not be minimized, dismissed, or ignored.

To do so invites the following…

Flavorless and dry…

Boring. Lacking color. Uniformity. Tasteless. Unpleasant. Unappetizing.

In short, the sad taco.

How many of us have experienced grey, dull, lifeless moments?

How many of us believe these to be the only realities of our lives?

It’s incorrect, however.

We have a presence, a wonderful presence.

Sad taco: you’re the antidote.

Quirks. Silliness, imperfection. Spark. Personality. Humor. Creativity. Expression. Capacity for love.

We should never underestimate the power of who we are. What we bring. How special those qualities are.

Like that of salsa, we add flavor. We add interest.

Beauty. Fun. Love. Laughter.

That cannot, nor should not, be underestimated.

We put our unique stamp on it.

We make things yummier.

If you have never been told that, I’m telling you now.

Copyright © 2024 by Sheryle Cruse