Preparation Counts

It doesn't seem to matter so much to me that I'm hungry as much as it matters to me that I want to be creative and enjoy, to my personal liking, what I eat. As I cook more creative (spontaneous, made-up recipes) meals, I am reminded over and over how preparation can make a great difference.

As I'm sure you know, adding pinches or dabs of this and that can offer more and/or different flavors to food. I believe that each day is like a recipe. Just like lime and hot sauce can eliminate a lot of fishiness and add a sure good kick to a piece of fish, so can adding a vibrant "routine" to my morning. Change is sometimes good. I used to wake up talking 90 miles per hour. Now, so much more than before, after I open my eyes and say good morning and give thanks to God. I believe that greeting God first, thanking him for keeping me safe through the night, and asking him to guide me through the day is the most important ingredient I can begin my day with. After I get out of bed, I spend some time with my dog, LiddyRae, as I am getting ready for work. It's in her nature to almost always be ready to be "bouncy-spirited" and ready to be happy and lovable. She is my dab of morning vibrance.

When I am on my way to work, I feel that adding a pinch of happy and uplifting music sweetens the morning. Depending on the tasks ahead of me, I sometimes add several pinches, instead of just one.

Though I don't remember to every moment, I've learned that the more I acknowledge God, off and on, through-out my day, the more I enjoy the richness and sweetness of my day. By the time I am finished working, I am ready to sit down and relax. Once I am home, my favorite new wind-down technique is to sit, relax, and read my daily devotion from my Women's Devotional Bible. Some recipes call for whipping eggs and/or other ingredients, and sometimes we have to whip obstacles that we face during the day in order to continue and work at make our day return to a peaceful smoothness. However, by the time I am home from work from hosting, I'm ready to be hosted to for a few minutes. So reading my devotion then is like dowsing the previous ingredients in a relaxing, calming sweet wine.

Once I have read and feel rejuvenated, I enjoy the the rest of my day with my wonderful partner. She is the added spice who gives a nice twist with the already marinated ingredients. I look forward to adding her into my day.

Before I go to sleep at night, I prepare for the final addition to my recipe. As I am drifting off to sleep, I talk to God in my mind. As I am comforted and relaxed by feeling his love, the day's recipe is final.

Even if I didn't have any variety of options for ingredients to mix into my day, it's good to know that everything would still turn out perfect as long as I just add God.

'Til next time,

Love, peace, & PB&J