Whenever my very eccentric grandmother would pull out a weed that included the entire root, she would exclaim, “It’s the kind that makes my mouth water!” Getting to the root of things, like grandma in her flower bed, is a core human need that satisfies us deeply, yet such a task is not for the faint of heart. We must be focused, intentional, committed, patient and resilient. We must be prepared to discover that the deeper reality of a thing may not match our superficial perception of that thing. And we must be willing to get dirty in the process. How easy it is to live at the surface, constantly skimming the stem and leaves off the top but leaving the root untouched. What a tragic mistake! The next time we feel dissatisfied and restless in life, let’s make the radical decision to go for the root. We will discover a beautiful complementarity and balance between our inner and outer selves that will make our mouths water too.
Ave Crux, Spes Unica.