To Reflect Upon the Moon: Just Take What You Need

     Music:
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTHI93IvM6g

     Food:
     As a traveling individual with an interest in local foods, a refined palette, and a big appetite, I got the idea to add a vegetarian food review section to my blog! Next week will have an actual picture of the food (I just got this idea a couple hours ago)! I think this is a good idea as it will help keep me grounded and enjoying some of the finer pleasures of life.

     www.justinsalbany.com/
   So I went there ^ and got their mozzarella sticks with... Raspberry Sauce. It's apparently an Albany thing. Locals are surprised and confused when they leave their underrated capital to find that no one else anywhere (as far as I know) eats their deep-fried cheese with overly sweet fruit and sugar syrup.
     With all that said, it was pretty good! The sticks themselves were your standard battered milk and (microbial) rennet cooked in a vat of hot oil. I've never had a moz stick that blew my mind, but I have had some horrid ones. Justin's, however, didn't mess 'em up. The real star here is the Raspberry Sauce!
   I consider myself a pretty creative individual and have tried some odd combinations of flavor, but I never thought to put the fried pizza cheese into anything but marinara. But I know now that I was just thinking inside my box. A box made of cheese sticks. The raspberry sauce went very well with the mozzarella sticks. Salty and sweet isn't my favorite combination, but really add sweet to anything and I'm game.
     That said, the raspberry sauce was very sweet. I forgot to inquire how they made this stuff but it definitely involves lots of sugar. Despite my sweet tooth I prefer flavors to be more subtle. The beautify of a dip though allows you to control the amount of the added flavor liquid, so I suggest just a bit of the raspberry sauce. If you are in Albany and in the mood for a sweet and salty unhealthy dish, give this a try!
     Hmm, I should think of a rating system...


     Journal:
     So if the food review didn't already give it away, I have to admit, I'm in Albany! I know that is dangerously close to New England, but I figure it doesn't matter where I am during my convalescence. Indeed, I feel as though I took a huge leap of faith in buying the van, so that was growth for me.

     Growth is a recurring theme I write about. Personal growth is the greatest reason for my journeying, and I most definitely have been growing. I can say this so confidently because I can feel it. I feel different. I see things differently than I used to. What is important to me though is action. I need to be doing things differently. I need to be doing things better.

     This week, I continued my growth in self-control and being satisfied with what I have. When you are aware of a weakness, the universe will send you a trial. If you pass your trial you'll be rewarded; you will learn and grow. If you fail, you might take a hit but don't give up, because you can still learn and grow just the same, if not more so!
     To help yourself, you can make your own trials. In my example of self-control, every time I have the chance to exercise some self-control, some restraint, I at least think about it. Over time, I notice that I am getting better and better. Better at not eating a brownie. Better at giving some food that I wanted to eat away. Better at doing without. All these are examples of growth to me. Self-control, generosity, needing less—if I can improve myself in those three ways then I believe I will become a better person.
     There are other ways I want to improve as well, of course. I want to be stronger, both in body, mind, and spirit. I want to be wiser, in the ways of people and in the ways of Earth and Heaven. I want to be more knowledgeable, in everything, but especially in writing and music and teaching. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to be more giving, of all things: Possessions, money, wisdom, knowledge, love. Above all things, giving is the secret to a beautiful world. Just like a muscle, or the type of growth described above, exercise giving.
     These are all big words, but words are part of the process. With words we can ask for things. I've been wasting my fortune asking for frivolities, but now I want to stop that. I want to ask for trials and lessons. I want to focus my actions and my energy on growing and challenging myself. My wants and desires have distracted me, but as I overcome them, little by little, I can focus myself on endeavors that matter, truly. I want to only take what I need.

     Poetry:
     Here is an ambitious poem I'm working on.
     I don't think it's done.
   I don't think it ever will be.

     "Love Is..."

     The most glorious of actions
     To share with another;
     A triumph
     The grandest of victories
     Greatness limited only by our own weaknesses

     A gift
     Giving at cost to yourself
     With no visible benefit
     For, to, in honor of others
     That which all need

     Life
     The Joining of two
     Stories, bodies, minds, spirit
     That which all begins
     Creation

     Free
     Like The Wind, moving as it please
     Choosing your direction
     For yourself and them and The World
     Never shackled. Never captured.

     A Thank You
     From the deepest place
     In Heart and Soul
     For each lesson taught
     For each gift given

   Pictures: