Tuesday, December 14, 2004

"I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, "Well, that's not going to happen."

"It'll never happen to me." Isn't that a statement of reassurance that we utter to ourselves from time to time? Come on, you know that you've at least thought the statement - in some form - to yourself every now and then. For unfortunate situations, we say it almost as a mantra to ward of any possibility: "It'll never happen to me." And for those fortunate situations, we say it as a form of self-fulfilling prophecy: "It'll never happen to me"...

But as a seasonsed stay-at-home parent of over a year now and the self-appointed house cook, this has become a reality of mine: recipes are simply guidelines; they are rarely meant to be absolute "how tos." And in many ways, the same could be said about life, whether it be science- or non-fiction. Our recipes rarely turn out the way the recipes turn out on the French cuisine cooking shows. And our life rarely evolves and looks the same as the lives of those celebrities in the news. But here is the second - and most important - aspect of this reality I have accepted as mine: "...And that's okay with me."

Now say it with me: "It'll never happen to me, and that's okay with me." For those unfortunate situations of Life, we are more than happy to say that. And for those seemingly fortunate situations (i.e. winning the lottery, fame, fortune, career success, etc.), there is enough evidence from others' life experiences to show that most of them are not as "fortune-ate" as they first appear.

Your life and my life, my friend, were never intended to be carbon-copy recipe cards. We each look different, perceive different, and despite similar/identical faith beliefs, we even worship different. You and I, along with 5 billion other persons, were given the rare privilege and responsibility of "uniqueness," for the Creator is no way a "cookie cutter" chef. He/She is the Master Chef who realizes that even the same ingredients never make the same recipe every time.

Envious of others' lifestyle at times? "It'll never happen to me, and that's okay with me."

Impatient with others' good fortune at times? "It'll never happen to me, and that's okay with me."

Others seem more blest than us at times? "It'll never happen to me, and that's okay with me."

By reminding ourselves of this, does this mean that the proverbial rainbow and its pot of gold will never shower down on us? No. It simply means that we don't want exactly what those others have or have received - good or bad... otherwise, we are sacrificing one of our greatest gifts: our rarety. The blessings of our life - like a wide variety of spices - will come in many different forms. Some will be dynamic and easy to identify. Others will be subtle to the taste and simply blend into the mix of your daily activiities. All of those blessings will uniquely and eventually meld together into one of this world's culinary delights: your unique and solitary life. Bon appetit, my friend.