It’s Food For Thought Friday. Food for the spirit and the body.
Spirit
I absolutely love Albert Einstein. I think much of what he said was absolutely genius. I mean, he was considered a genius. He is one of the people from the past that is suspected to have had Asperger’s Syndrome. So, being that my son is an ‘Aspie’ I have even more of an appreciation for him now. The following is one of his quotes.
People that have Asperger’s Syndrome tend to become obsessed with whatever it is that interests them at the time. Right now my son is all into dinosaurs. He literally becomes one. I’m teaching him to read in English and I’m using a phonics course online by ‘Clicknkids’. It’s phenomenal and very helpful in having a structured step-by-step process of learning the language. However, he started to get really upset and was traumatized by seeing his name on the screen. I decided to change his screen name to ‘Velociraptor’ and now he’s very happy to continue learning.
I will confess that I am not a patient person, and my experiences with Cauê have just proven that more and more. This quote above speaks to me about patience and not giving up, which is something that is very ‘real’ for me right now. It’s like the saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait”.
Albert Einstein knew the benefits of being patient. He didn’t expect microwavable results. He knew that if he persevered and lingered in the presence of the problem at hand, he would see good come of it. That would be his reward. His answers and understanding would come to him, so longing he stayed with the problem longer. So longing he was patient enough to wait it out.
Food For Thought:
How about you? Would you consider yourself a patient person? What problems do you need to stay with longer in order to see breakthrough? Are you waiting it out? Leave a comment if you would…=)
Body
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 pepper (green, red, yellow, etc.)
- 2 tomatos
- 1 carrot shredded
- 2 cups shredded kale
- 1 bouillon cube (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mixed seasoning (like Mrs. Dash or Italian)
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- a little olive oil
- 3 cups water
Directions:
Put a little olive oil in a small pot, add the rice and mix on low heat until the oil has coated the rice. add three cups of water and allow to cook (you won’t cook all the way through though. Just until it’s almost done.)
Cut the chicken in cubes. Chop the garlic, onion, pepper and tomato.
Sauté the garlic and bouillon cube for 30 seconds in 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan or wok on low heat. Add the chicken and stir fry until it’s no longer pink. Add the onions first, and then soon after add the pepper and tomato. Stir fry for a few minutes until the onions and peppers are soft. Add the salt, seasoning, broccoli and shredded carrot. Transfer the rice (almost done) over to the large saucepan/wok and stir in to incorporate it with the chicken and veggies. Add the shredded kale right before finishing, cooking it just enough to soften it.
Enjoy. Have a great weekend.
stacilys.wordpress.com 
Patience is tough for me, really tough. Often, it isn’t until the kids are in bed when I look back at the day that I can see that I needed to be more patient. I work on it daily, taking a step back, remembering how truly little they are and how much they rely on me. You are doing great work Staci!
Hey there, thanks a ton. Yup, I can speak of one too many times I’ve totally lost my patience and then only regretted afterwards. Even in tears. We learn through experience though eh.
Thanks for the comment Aspen. Really glad we met.
Bless ya =)
Patience is hard for me. I used to pray for patience. Then I broke my foot and had to be patient waiting for others to help me. It drove me crazy. I stopped praying for patience! LOL It taught me that God doesn’t just “give” you something like that, He gives opportunity to practice it. I don’t really want the opportunity! 😉
I do work on it though…and I actually do humbly feel I have improved upon this area but certainly still need more work!
The recipe looks awesome. We are eating mostly paleo now so I would substitute real chicken broth for the bouillon and cauliflower for the rice. I bet the combination would be awesome!
HAHAHAHAHA. “Then you stopped praying for patience”. That’s hilarious Carol. I know that I would pray for patience too and then I started saying that God gave me my aspie son in order to develop it in me. It’s working, but it sure is tough. And you’re totally right, “God doesn’t just give you something like that, He gives opportunity to practice it.”
I too feel as if I’ve improved over the past year or so, but I still have a long way to go.
Thanks for commenting on the recipe too. I would like to be able to incorporate cauliflower ‘rice’ for my family but my hubby is not so compliant =( And unfortunately I can’t get a lot of the food I would like to incorporate into our diets here in north-east Brazil. I would love to drink almond milk, however I would have to make my own because they don’t sell it here. Almonds are atrociously expensive here so I don’t make it. For the first time since I’ve been in Brazil (11 1/2) years, I found different types of milk at the bulk store (oat milk, rice milk). I don’t drink these types of milk, but out of curiosity I asked how much it was. I was appalled when she told me that 1 liter was $R18.00, which is about $7.50 US.
Blessings =)
I work with adults with all manner of learning disabilities and mental health issues and although I love my job it can take a lot of patience and hard work before any positive results are seen. People with Aspergers are still the same as you and I in many ways and it is a case of being patient and finding out what makes them tick. People with learning disabilities are often some of the most interesting and engaging people that one comes across in life. It’s not always easy but seeing a smile on their face or succeeding in engaging with them is often a huge reward in itself.
Heather xxx
Hi Heather. Thank you so much for your comment and insight. I especially liked what you said about ‘being patient and finding out what makes them tick.’ I am really starting to understand that. Hence, changing my son’s screen name to ‘Velociraptor’ because of his current obsession with dinosaurs. It REALLY made a difference. He would kick and screen and cry during his English lesson. After changing it he went to the computer happy, with a smile on his face and did the entire lesson without complaining even once. He was happy doing it.
You must be a really patient person eh. I imagine that it must be difficult working with people that have learning disabilities and mental health problems. I grew up with an autistic brother and experienced first hand his behavior and my mom working with him.
Blessings Heather =)
Staci
I grew up with an uncle who is autistic and so from a very young age i guess that I learned to accept that some folks were different. Although other kids would make fun of him, I saw my uncle as just that – my uncle. It is often difficult for people who have no experience of learning disabilities or mental health conditions to see the person behind them. They may act differently or not do the kinds of things than others would consider normal, but they are still people and I feel strongly that they should be treated as such.
I really enjoy my job and the many fascinating people that I meet through it. I’m blessed to be able to work with such people and it makes me feel as if I am doing something positive with my day to day life.
I’ve worked with a number of people who have had challenging behaviour and the key is to learning why they exhibit that behaviour in the first place. By understanding their needs we can then understand their behaviour and work on ways to meet their needs and expectations, this in turn lessens the challenging behaviour as you’ve found with changing your son’s screen name.
Your post really touched me and I would love to hear more about you and your son.
Heather xxx
“the key is to learning why they exhibit that behaviour in the first place. By understanding their needs we can then understand their behaviour and work on ways to meet their needs and expectations, this in turn lessens the challenging behaviour”
Wow! You really hit the nail on the head there. I’m finally coming to realize that. Challenging behavior doesn’t happen for no reason.
I’m so happy that my post touched you. I’m blessed.
Blessings to you =)
I really did enjoy your post. It is so nice to be able to talk to someone with shared interest and knowledge of autism. It’s a subject that I feel passionate about and one that I think needs a wider audience than it currently reaches. I’m passionate about my job too and I guess that comes out in my comments on the subject. I would love to continue hearing about the progress your son is making.
Heather xxx
Oh, thank you so much Heather. I truly feel blessed by you. If you think that a wider audience is need in the USA, you should see how it is in Brazil. Oh my goodness, they are about 40 years behind. I’m paying a ton of money for my son to go to a Christian school that is very eager to include those with autism and learning disabilities. Last year it was difficult because his teacher didn’t really know how to work with him. Then again, we didn’t have a diagnosis until last April. The new school year just started this week here in Brazil and so far, so good. I told his teacher off the bat about his dinosaur obsession and not liking his name and she’s taken that well into consideration. He came home the other day and I asked him, “What did you do at school today.” I wasn’t expecting much of a clear answer because he usually doesn’t respond directly to the question. However, he told me that he made a dinosaur with play dough. Then he volunteered the information that his teacher did it with him. Then he volunteered more info about one of his class mates that he’s had since he started there three years ago.
I am really glad that we met and have this common interest. And I’m so happy that you are passionate about autism.
Thanks again Heather.
Blessings =)
I am very happy that we both have this common interest and that between us we may be able to spread the word about autism further.
I live in the UK and while we are fairly progressive when it comes to disabilities, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding the subject. It was only twenty or thirty years ago that people with learning disabilities were placed in institutions and hid away from the world. The focus is now much more on care in the community rather than the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ policies of the past.
I am so happy to hear that your son volunteered information about his teacher and classmate. At times, autistic children find it hard to talk unless it is a subject they feel comfortable with. Perhaps it is because your son felt comfortable with dinosaurs being the basis for the conversation that he opened up about the other aspects. The dinosaur probably made things seem less daunting to talk about than the otherwise might have been.
Heather xxx
Awesome words Heather. Thank you so much. I’m learning lots of excellent stuff from you. As well as being deeply encouraged.
Blessings=)
Staci
That’s lovely to hear. Any time you need a shoulder to lean on, I’m there 🙂
You’re doing great though, your son is lucky to have a mom like you.
Heather xxx
Awww, thanks Heather. You’re a sweetie.
Bless you=)