Happy New Year!
Like most people I am making lists of what I want to accomplish in 2009. However, I ran across a different and inspiring list in Real Simple entitled “10 Things Cooking Has Taught Me About Life.” The opening paragraph says it all: “Whether we’re trained chefs de cuisine or working moms throwing a meal together at the end of a long day, cooking can soothe and connect us—even teach us a little about ourselves … I guarantee that if you stop to consider what you’re doing as you beat eggs for breakfast or share a home-cooked meal with friends, you may never consider it a chore again.”
Maybe our lists should be less about what we want to do and more about what we’ve learned and how to apply that to other areas of our lives.
Here, I’ll start with a few things cooking has taught me:
1. Be flexible. Just because you write a list or make a plan doesn’t mean you have to be beholden to it. Things can be re-arranged, modified, or scrapped all together.
2. Do it with “love”. I always find that the most flavorful and enjoyable meals (whether fancy or simple) happen when I cook them with love. When you truly put a piece of yourself into something it makes your life and other people’s lives that much more enjoyable.
3. It’s as much about the process as the finished product. Enjoy the journey to the goal.
So, what’s on your list?