I love reading and the book has been my best friend since I know myself.

As a child, I was reading a lot and one of the Fairy tales I liked very much was “Like salt in Food“. Shortly, a king, the father of three girls, asks them how much they love him. One tells him that she loves him like sugar, the second one like honey, and the third one, like salt in food. Angry at the third girl’s response, the king sends the girl away from home. She becomes the maid at the court of another king, where through her zeal and kindness she is loved by both the empress and her son. For her wedding, the girl is the one who prepares food for her father who is also invited. Instead of salt, she uses only honey and sugar for all his food.

The story ends with the reconciliation of the father and the girl. She showed her father that love does not mean only sugar and honey. Salt is the one that offers the flavour of the food.

It is true that salt and sugar can look exactly the same, but they taste differently. 

Why sugar?

Sugar is not unhealthful in itself. Too much or too little can be the physical causes of different diseases.

Why salt?

Salt contains 40 per cent sodium and our body uses it to maintain fluid levels. Too much or too little can be the physical causes of different diseases.

You love salt in the food that requires salt, but you also love cookies because they are sweet. We need both sugar and salt, for we need both of them in our lives and we, as human beings have both in our bodies. The tear is salty, and the blood contains sugar.

Even if, “Neither sugar nor salt tastes particularly good by itself. Each is at its best when used to season other things. 
Love is the same way.”
― Vera Nazarian

Both salt and sugar are important in our lives and each one can do harm if it is too much or too little.

Both sugar and salt only season our life, whether we live alone or with a loved one. As I said before, life has its ups and downs, and we go up to fall and fall to learn to get up and move on. Life is not just a straight and easy road. In fact, if you think about driving a long time in an area with uneven terrain, you feel bored and can easily fall asleep. The same, you could not live a life where everything is monotonous. We need changes. You need salt and pepper in your life, otherwise, you live without balance. Therefore, the salt and pepper of your life give you the balance you need.

How to learn?

Nature

We can learn from what Nature offers us. The rain makes us happy when it cools the air in the heat of summer, but you do not enjoy it when it brings storms and ravages. You enjoy the warmth of the sun, but when it is too hot, too long, you do not enjoy it anymore, but you feel the need for the rain. The same thing happens in our lives. We all want a beautiful life meaning that we see a life without worries and unpleasant things. But Life is not just sugar and honey, or salt. It has both, and they complete each other for the balance of life.

Event

An unpleasant event will make you change the way you think or live. It happens because you need to live your life in its entirety, not just a quarter or half of it. You need to know both the positive and the negative parts of it. Actually, we all live the good and bad, for the Universe takes care of everything keeping the balance.

Lover

We often say that we love the man next to us. We do it with the fear of not being left and wait with pain to hear those words from the partner. When you do not love yourself, you cannot say to your loved one that you love him. Moreover, you simply do not feel anything when hearing those words from him. You want to hear what you give and you want to feel what you get as you feel when giving. Couples who live life together know how to truly love each other, with good and bad, with sugar and salt.

Children

We can learn from children to truly love. They are so pure and sincere when they say “I love you”. They say it wholeheartedly, without restrictions, without fear that they will be rejected. Without fear of not being loved. You see love in their eyes when looking at their parents or any other person who really loves them. Children love unconditionally.

You Really Love

When finding a term of comparison for our love, it is limited as it is that thing, but true love has no term of comparison, it is everything and entirely.

You really love when believing your lover, respect and see him as you see yourself. Another being with desires and dreams, with beliefs and expectations. You really love them when accepting them fully, for you accept the sugar but also the salt, meaning you love them for who they are.

The king of the above story, had the love in its entirety from his daughters, because he had sugar but also salt in his life, which always gives a flavour to your life.

For me, the answer to the above question would be simple and sincere

“I love you”

What about You?

Photo by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay 

Love,

Manuela

Copyright © 2019 manuela@inalove.world