God or mother ???

Ramu felt  very ill, with a variety of ailments.  When he met the village medicine man, he opened his bag of woes.  After a patient hearing, the medicine man realized that the cause was more mental and emotional than physical.  The incessant negative thoughts in the man’s head were driving his body to feign illnesses.

“Take two teaspoons of this medicine three times a day  - but before you do so, don’t think of the black monkey” said the medicine man, handing him a bottle of medicine.

Ramu went home, quite happy to have found a solution to his maladies.  Next morning, he opened the bottle and then remembered the medicine man’s injunctions.

“ What  is it that I am not supposed to think of ?”  he pondered for a few minutes .

“Ah, the black monkey !” he said to himself, just as he swallowed the medicine !!

Isn't this what we all quite often do – we sit in front of diet food and think how unsatisfying or unappetizing it is.  Or look at a pretty dress and then imagine how unsuited it is to us as it will make us look fat.  Ice cream – fat,  butter – fat, rice – fat, fruit – sugar – calories.  Our mind is constantly thinking fat, fat fat.  How can we ever be slim or healthy or beautiful ??? 

What is more, as mothers we equate love with food - we want chubby babies.  We feel so guilty when our children's weight gain is found wanting by the paediatrician.  And so, we stuff them with food and more food.  If we value only plump babies, can we ever have healthy adults ?