I had originally planned to call this post “An Ode to an Allium” until I realized that ode’s need a certain amount of rhythmic cadence. And well, my tendency towards rhymes often end after the first clever line. So instead I will write a devoted essay, glorifying a homely yet fabulous staple in kitchens around the world and its relevance to self confidence.
As a farm wife, I try to know our crops inside and out. Garlic is one of my favorites. We began growing it en masse a few years ago and although harvesting it is labor intensive, my love for this little bulb has only grown stronger. And, aside from the odd way morning sickness has of turning even the most delightful of smells into repungent odors, my aversion to a garlic field only lasted through the first trimester, returning in force and delighting my senses as I collected the stray bulbs missed by our sturdy digging equipment.
While harvest is hard, garlic is rather easy to grow. Eager and hungry to produce, it willingly shoots up anywhere. Even in a heap of old, rained on and slightly moldy cloves that were carelessly dumped in the garden plot by this green garlic gardener who assumed they’d just breakdown into compost. Opps , lesson learned! They are resilient, a trait I myself am trying to develop.
Garlic is a powerhouse, so versatile, so adaptive, so reliable. It is great for warding off illness, knocking out colds. It adds flavor to almost any savory dish and is found in nearly every type of cuisine throughout the world. It can be dried, roasted, frozen and pickled. It can shine in the spotlight or play a supporting role effortlessly. And yet… after all of this, it isn’t that pretty to look at right?
To look at it objectively without any understanding of it’s many talents, it wouldn’t really win a beauty contest. Fresh from the field, the skin is cracked, dirt clinging to it. The roots are stringy and mismatched and often there are imperfections obtained organically. So, after all this, why do we love it so much?
I ask the same question about myself… as a mom of two whose days are filled with sippy cups, farm books, washing dishes and kissing boo boos, my fashion sense has taken a back seat. My curls often get pulled into a bun rather than teased and toussled. I rarely don makeup and sometimes I go to sleep in the same outfit I woke up in… oops to much information… sorry. But I’m sure there are a few of you reading this who can relate…
My point is, I easily knock myself down a peg when I don’t feel beautiful, don’t love the face I see in the mirror and then those thoughts take me down the road of unworthiness. Are there a few more of you that can relate to that confession?
So why can we look at a bushel of garlic and see it’s value for what it can do over how it merely looks? Yet negate our own self worth because we don’t measure up to unrealistic standards we have set for ourselves?
If we passed a garlic bulb by simply because it wasn’t as immaculate and mysterious as a pomegranate or as vibrant and colorful as a peach, we would be missing out on an epic ingredient that adds so much to our palate.
When I start getting down on myself for not looking beautiful, for not knocking out a killer outfit or contouring (to be honest I don’t know what that is exactly) God graciously reminds me that the value I bring to the world doesn’t lie within my ability to look good. Like a garlic clove, my reliability, versatility and adaptability bring value to my husband who needs a wife who can change directions on a dime, supporting his work on the farm. My ability to take the lead and set the example or take a back seat and support my children when necessary will do far more for them than “looking put together’. Being able to hold up in any environment, so much like this humble bulb can, never losing it’s charm, is a far greater strength than just looking the part but withering in the face of change or adversity.
Are you feeling me here? are you relating? Now I don’t advocate for ditching that great foundation or those cute jeans. Wear them with joy, but know that your value extends far deeper than what you see. We have a depth of flavor and a broad spectrum of usefulness that we must willingly tap into. And we when do we have the power to create change in the world. The impact you will have on this world can be multifaceted, don’t bury it in a pile of unrealistic expectations. -Nichole