Metta
Definition: Metta is a sincere wish for the welfare and genuine happiness of all beings, without exception.
Metta – may you be free from danger, happy, peaceful, strong, healthy, and have ease of being.
I first heard this word when I left Carl Jerome’s meditation studio. At the conclusion of our class he bowed to Steve and I said “Metta.” I wasn’t sure what the word meant so I looked it up when I returned home. Metta is usually a silent wish of loving kindness that you can offer to someone. Upon reflection I was touched that Carl offered us “Metta” as his parting gesture. It’s a word I now use and reflect upon when I greet or leave those that I love.
So when I think of my dear friend and talented “Zen” designer Linda Cassady I think “Metta.”
I reached out to Linda when we were in the midst of a design crisis last October. All of our design concepts proved to be too expensive with our current designer who said she could no longer finish the job. We had spent most of our design budget and needed to start from scratch.
With nowhere to go I turned to the internet and googled “Most Talented Chicago Food Designers” and found an article written by Bryn Mooth. I wrote Bryn who in turn connected me with Linda Cassady.
When we finally met on a cool October morning at Lula Café I was surprised to find Linda was in a wheelchair. There was nothing on her site that indicated she was impaired, only her beautiful smile and amazing designs.
I soon learned that as a talented food stylist and graphic artist she was in a horrific car accident in her early 30’s and was left a paraplegic.
Understanding our budget challenge, she used our existing and stunning photography by our photographer, Kerri Sherman, to transform our brand.
Through the past year Linda has awakened both my soul and my mind to the world of
people with physical disabilities. Whenever we meet outside her studio we carefully decide the best location not because of the food or aesthetic, but because of the entrance to the restaurant and the accessibility of the bathrooms.
Her unique and total devotion to her clients make her special. And her talent is often unrecognized in a world that requires physical networking.
Not only has her vision brought our brand to life, but our friendship has become one of my biggest blessings.
So to Linda, and all our Zen followers I wish you “Metta”
Author’s Note:
We’re taking Linda’s lead this month and adapting her favorite home cooked recipes for the slow cooker.
Zen Special
Our featured Slow Cooker Spice Blend this month is our Daube Provençale! It’s an earthy blend that makes a delicious French Beef Stew – a delicious treat after a long day out of the home. So buy any 2 blends and receive a Daube Provencal as our gift.
Zen Moment
“Imagine walking along a sidewalk with your arms full of groceries, and someone roughly bumps into you so that you fall and your groceries are strewn over the ground. As you rise up from the puddle of broken eggs and tomato juice, you are ready to shout out, ‘You idiot! What’s wrong with you? Are you blind?’ But just before you can catch your breath to speak, you see that the person who bumped into you is actually blind. He, too, is sprawled in the spilled groceries, and your anger vanishes in an instant, to be replaced by sympathetic concern: ‘Are you hurt? Can I help you up?’ Our situation is like that. When we clearly realize that the source of disharmony and misery in the world is ignorance, we can open the door of wisdom and compassion.”
― B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up: A Practical Approach for Modern Life
