"My life would be so much easier," she said, "if my imagination would just leave me alone..."

Perhaps the journey really begins when we just ask the questions without demanding the answers...

What color is a yam? 

Had I been asked that the other day, I would have said brown-ish on the outside, orange-ish on the inside.  But I took a trip to 99 Ranch Market on Saturday, which is like traveling to a different country while staying within one's own city...totally and completely delightful...and was so excited to find a purple yam.  On the outside, it looks just like what I consider to be a "normal" yam.  Emphasis on the quotation marks.  On the inside, it is an extravagant shade of purple.  Absolutely beautiful!  Yams can be purple.  I wonder what other colors they are! 

It seems like we can go many ways when our pre-conceived notions about something are shattered - excitement, surprise, expansion, defeat, despair, disappointment.  I suppose it depends upon the situation, but in any case, our attitude is always our choice.   

In this case, some life lessons showed up in the simple and safe form of a vegetable, that I believe can be applied to the larger picture.  What is the underlying message here?  A few of my thoughts.  Perhaps you have others: 
- If we make assumptions that we are always right, that our pre-conceived notions, or default settings about things are true and set in stone (ex: all yams are orange), we can miss out on much of the beauty that this world has to offer.   
- If we are not willing to take the risk and step out into the world of the unknown (ex: a purple yam???), we may be missing out on wonderful opportunites. 
- If we judge something by it's "color", or only stick with a certain "color", then we could be missing out on healthy experiences that expand our minds, and in my example, taste buds.  

Back to the literal - I shredded my purple yam, mixed it with an egg, some flour, garlic, salt, and pepper, and fried it up in a pan with oil, as a big ol' potato pancake-like formation.  Highly recommended...

Life has many surprises, be open to them...