Zenzero

Zenzero (pr: DZEN'dzedo) is the Italian word for "ginger." I love the sound of this appropriately spicy word. I love how saying it makes my head hum. When I lived in Santa Monica there was a restaurant called Zenzero, which I mistakenly thought was some kind of Asian restaurant. I figured it must've served sublime foods that transported its patrons to a state of Zen. Only recently, when I looked up the word "ginger" in my Italian dictionary, did it dawn on me that there was actually an Italian restaurant in LA I never got to try.


But still, every time I use the word (my three year-old -- who knew -- loves candied ginger) in my mind I still think of Zen+Zero, stretching a connection from the harsh spiciness of ginger to a state of nirvana. Okay, so I know I overthink things, but zenzero pretty much sums up the paradox of my life right now. On any given day I feel a pull in 2 directions: one, to spice up my life more, fill my "plate" (and my palate) with delights - and the other, to strive for a state of zen, simplicity, "zero." It's a constant straddling of a river: one foot on the "have fun, fill up your life, strive for rich experiences" bank, and the other on the "be content where you are, here and now" bank. I guess the two aren't mutually exclusive, but they require a delicate balance nearly impossible to achieve.


I've got my "spicy" projects: getting ResearchMamas off the ground, ramping up my Italian, feeding the big picture dream of living in Italy -- and my "simple" life, always ready for more down time with family, friends, me. I guess I just need to trust that if I straddle my "ZenZero" deftly, these 2 opposing aspects of my life will somehow harmonize. But meanwhile, in the interest of simplifying while making more room on my plate, I'm going to take a longer break from my little A to Z blog. AlphabetDancing has definitely warmed up the writing muscles, my goal from the outset. And it's not going a way; I'll start it Again, perhaps in a different incarnation. For now it's just taking a rest, an extended yet restorative nap. Zzzzzzzzzzz.