The Maverick#59: Defying the Usual to Inspire & Connect

A lot of renewed interest and enthusiasm is recently seen in ‘ edible weed walks’ . Following the lockdown people have started using the knowledge they have gathered over the time about what a certain plant is, whether it is edible and how to go about preparing a fancy meal out of it.These guys love experimenting with recipes and get excited over finding new edible plants in the most unexpected of places; in the crevices between pavement stones and broken asphalt, in overgrown street sides, sidewalks, abandoned lots and parks.  Many of these weeds and plants we usually dismiss as having no culinary taste or medicinal value.  A class of new urban foragers however thinks otherwise. For them “the food is already there, it’s just not recognized as one.”   Here’s why;   Feast on sidewalk salads Every morning I find a new class of urban foragers sporting pruning shears and a plastic bag, walk along the sidewalks scouting for plants and weeds that can make them a tast...

If you believe that spending time with your kids and spouse is the key to your happiness, you could be in for a surprise!  People actually experience higher level of wellness being while chilling around with friends than they do when spending time with their family!! It’s shocking but true! For quite a few, happiness does not mean spending time with family and finding relevance in unpleasant tasks like chores or caretaking duties. People admit that they usually feel higher sense of well being once they find themselves surrounded by friends and laze around; rather they do when in comforting nearness of their romantic companion or kids. Strangely, happiness quotient falls sharply being around with romantic partners!! Our brains are wired like this…we prefer to spend more time doing enjoyable activities with friends than with our family members. What more, the bond between friends gets stronger with age and eventually could outweigh the connect with the family. These relationships ‘...