Let Go of the Nuts

Image from page 61 of “A class-book of botany, designed for colleges, academies, and other seminaries … Illustrated by a flora of the northern, middle, and western states; particularly of the United States north of the Capitol, lat. 38 3/4” (1848)
Identifier: classbookbotany00wood
Title: A class-book of botany, designed for colleges, academies, and other seminaries … Illustrated by a flora of the northern, middle, and western states; particularly of the United States north of the Capitol, lat. 38 3/4
Year: 1848 (1840s)
Authors: Wood, Alphonso, 1810-1881
Subjects: Botany Plants — United States Plants — Canada
Publisher: Boston, Crocker & Brewster
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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Text Appearing Before Image:
place at one orboth sutures, in a fruit with a simple carpel. Ex. pea. 5. An in-egular deliiscence, called circumscissile {circumscindo,to cut around), occurs in the plantain, verbena, henbane, &c.,where the top of the pericarp falls off like a lid. (Fig. 18; 16.) 116. The forms of the pericaii) are exceedingly diversified, and have beenstudied by botanists with great attention. The following varieties are generallydescribed in elementary works. 1. Capsule (a casket), is a term applied to those pericarpswhich are of a hard and woody texture, proceeding from a com-pound ovary, dehiscing at the side or top, by valves, or some-times by pores only. a. The capsule consists of only one cell, or is divided within 64 THE FRUIT. by dissepiments (85, c) into many cells. The central pillar, orsnbstance formed by the united placentas is called the colu-mella. To tliis the seeds are generally attached. The seed-vessels of the Lobeha, mullein, puik, poppy, bloodroot (San-gumaria), are capsules.

Text Appearing After Image:
FIG. 17. — Forms of fruit: 1, capsule of Rhododendron; 2, Nicoliana; 3, Colchicum;4, CEnothera; 5, silique of Raphanus ; 6, silicle of Capsella; 7, legume of the pea ; S, jointedlegume (loment) of Desmodium; 9, follicle of Apocynum; 10, nut of oak; 11, drupe ofCerasus. 2. Silique (a pod). Tliis is a long, narrow pericarp of twovalves, divided into two cells, by a false dissepiment formed bythe extended placentsB. The seeds are attached to the edgesof this dissepiment, alternating with its opposite sides. Ex.mustard, wallflower, and other CruciferEe. 3. Silicle (a little pod), differs from the silique, by beingshorter, and more nearly oval. Ex. pepper-gi*ass, shepherdspurse (Thlaspi). The silique and silicle are pecuhar to plantswith cruciform corollas. 4. Legume (also a pod), two-valved, one-celled, consists of asimple carpel, and thus differs essentially from the sihque. Itbeais its seeds attached to the margin of each valve alternately,along the ventral suture only. Ex. pea, and a

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By Internet Archive Book Images on 1848-01-01 00:00:00

Is it amazing how much we hold on to in life. We hold on to resentments, grudges, ill-will, desires for revenge and getting even, negative thoughts, unhealthy mindsets, unwanted behaviors, material possessions, money, people, attitudes that hold us back… and the list goes on and on. I’m sure you could add so many more items to this list. Many of us fail to realize how much power we allow these realities to have in our lives.

In my line of work, I have had the pleasure of meeting many people from many different walks of life. I interact with folks who are healthy and not so healthy; folks who are happy and not so happy. In my dealings with these folks, I have discovered that the unhealthy and unhappy people are the ones who hold on to so much negative baggage. These are the people who refuse to forgive, hold on to grudges and resentments and insist on worrying about things they have no control over.

The healthy and happy folks that I interact with are those people who have learned the simple yet difficult task of “letting go”. These are the people who have made a choice not to hold on to individuals, behaviors and mindsets that bring about unwanted consequences. Just let it go! If there is a person in your life that is hurting you and keeping you from moving forward and progressing in life, just let that person go. If there is an attitude or mindset that perpetuates feelings of anger and hatred in your heart, just let it go. If mistakes from your past continue to haunt you and lead you to beat yourself up, just let it go.

It sounds so simple and yet it isn’t. Letting go requires a lot of work and effort. It is easier for some people than it is for others. But it is possible for everyone to achieve. It all begins with a simple choice. One has to say something like this: “you know, i am sick and tired of allowing people and things to have the power to rob me of my peace and joy… I choose to let go of all negative influences in my life.” Once that decision is made, the process of letting go is put into motion. One just needs to follow through.

The story is told of a monkey who was caught in the wild for scientific experimentation. The device used to capture the animal was a cage filled with nuts. The cage had an opening big enough for a monkey’s hand to reach in and grab the nuts. However, once the monkey grabbed the nuts and made a fist, the monkey’s hand no longer fit through the opening in the cage. All the monkey had to do to set itself free was let go of the nuts. Unfortunately, the monkey didn’t want to part with the nuts; it wouldn’t let go. In not letting go, the creature subjected itself to a life of misery, enslavement and imprisonment.

The same goes for us. When we refuse to let go of the “nuts” in our lives, we risk subjecting ourselves to a life of misery, enslavement and imprisonment. All we have to do is let go and freedom and happiness reign!