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LJI Salty
There is a very old tale of a king who had three daughters. He asked them one day how much they loved him.
"More than life," said the eldest.
"More than words," said the next.
"More than meat loves salt," said the youngest, the king's favorite child.
The king did not understand this response and was greatly insulted that his favorite daughter did not shower him with adulation as her sisters did. He banished the youngest daughter from the Court.
In the manner of very old tales, here is where paths diverge. Generally, the king eventually realizes his two elder daughters were all pomp and show while his youngest daughter had a love of substance. They are eventually reunited. This is seen in Shakespeare's King Lear with the banishment and return of Cordelia. Even though she knew returning would lead to imprisonment and death, Cordelia chose her fate out of love for her father.
If you've ever had an undersalted meal, you may have an idea of what the youngest daughter meant. Undersalted food tastes bland. Salt is an incredible mineral. The cubic shape of the crystals roughens the surface of the taste buds, so that food tastes more like itself. Neurologically, it stimulates the electrical transfer between neurons, improving cognitive function. Very few substances have the ability to make something become an enhanced version of itself in this way. Personal meditation gurus call it reaching one's highest actualization.
There are a handful of people for whom I've been the salt. There are even fewer who have been the salt for me.
I treasure those who have been there, and who have helped me become a better version of myself.
I intend to be salty for some time to come.
Week 12 of LJI, Salty
"More than words," said the next.
"More than meat loves salt," said the youngest, the king's favorite child.
The king did not understand this response and was greatly insulted that his favorite daughter did not shower him with adulation as her sisters did. He banished the youngest daughter from the Court.
In the manner of very old tales, here is where paths diverge. Generally, the king eventually realizes his two elder daughters were all pomp and show while his youngest daughter had a love of substance. They are eventually reunited. This is seen in Shakespeare's King Lear with the banishment and return of Cordelia. Even though she knew returning would lead to imprisonment and death, Cordelia chose her fate out of love for her father.
If you've ever had an undersalted meal, you may have an idea of what the youngest daughter meant. Undersalted food tastes bland. Salt is an incredible mineral. The cubic shape of the crystals roughens the surface of the taste buds, so that food tastes more like itself. Neurologically, it stimulates the electrical transfer between neurons, improving cognitive function. Very few substances have the ability to make something become an enhanced version of itself in this way. Personal meditation gurus call it reaching one's highest actualization.
There are a handful of people for whom I've been the salt. There are even fewer who have been the salt for me.
I treasure those who have been there, and who have helped me become a better version of myself.
I intend to be salty for some time to come.
Week 12 of LJI, Salty
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The salt of the Earth!
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`*claps*
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I enjoyed this piece! May you have salt for the rest of your days! Hugs and peace~~~
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Undersalted food (whatever amounts to undersalted to an individual person) really does taste kind of flat-- like a ghost of the promise of how the food could taste, and yet it does not. Even several bites later, that doesn't change. It isn't quite what you'd hoped.
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