Fresh charred corn salad with radish greens, tomatoes and mint

This post was supposed to be about the last days of summer, the last ears of corn. About discovering new ways to feel good about yourself - yes, after reading about it for months on line, I finally bought some radishes and ate the greens in a salad instead of discarding them. It indeed felt great to use all the parts of the root. And yes, it was good, peppery and fresh.

This post was supposed to be about the many changes of the past weeks. School starting: the excitement and the pride combined with a nighttime need for comfort from Mommy and Daddy in face of all the novelty. The many doubts at work involving a long-procrastinated deal and disposal. The small complaints, the drudgery of our daily lives.

Now this post is now about gratitude, about living life to its fullest. Things happen around us, things that are so unfathomable, so shocking that they jolt us out of our passiveness, our negativity, they shake us to the core. They are a wake up call, an alarm that reminds us to appreciate every annoying nuance of our everyday, normal life.

When, in the span of 24 hours, you discover yet another good friend is in a sterile room fighting against leukemia; that your dear friend who is having a baby girl in three weeks was just told there are problems and they don't know how serious they are. When you read about a fellow blogger's 'first week of school' experience, you realize that shit happens. A lot. You realize you should be thanking your lucky stars. You realize you have to live your life to the max and that you have to tell the people you care about how much you love them. Every day. You have to grasp life and make the best out of every day because disease, loss, hurt are lurking around the corner.

Enjoy the sweetness of every kernel of roasted corn that pops between your teeth. Delight in the peppery sharpness of those radish greens. Feel all the freshness of the mint, the juiciness of the ripe tomatoes and the tartness of the lime. Because life is all of the above, sweet, spicy, tangy and we are lucky to be alive.

Ingredients

2 ears of fresh corn

a handful of vine tomatoes

a large bunch of radish greens

a few radishes

a small bunch of mint

lime juice

salt

pepper

olive oil

Grill or roast the ears of corn. I live in an apartment in the city so I charred mine on a grill pan. Cut the leaves off of the radishes, wash them thoroughly, dry them and chop them up coarsely. Chop a few radishes and the tomatoes into bitesize pieces and the mint. When the corn has cooled, cut the kernels into a bowl with a sharp knife. Mix all the ingredients together and dress with plenty of fresh lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.