To My 21 Year Old Self…

1-51pm

This morning as I made breakfast, I reflected on how far I have come when it comes to frying eggs.

I recall when I first married, the huge drama and disability I had when it came to breaking an egg into a pan and having it come out in one piece. My experience in frying an egg in those days was very limited. Now I was 21 and about to marry Mike. I had the opportunity to prove my prowess (or lack thereof) in the kitchen. It wasn’t something I actually had to prove…because it didn’t exist! So there we were at my step-sister’s house. I was house-sitting and Mike came for breakfast. I planned on making him fried eggs. I heated the pan with some oil and broke the eggs into the pan. They instantly stuck and I couldn’t get them out in one piece. The result – a half scrambled, broken, bitty, messy, slushy egg! I was devastated, humiliated, embarrassed and mortified. Mike of course was his gentlemanly self. If I had to know then what I know now, I would have told my 21 year old self a few bits of sage advice: to start with, when you have no experience at something, don’t expect to do it brilliantly first time. It does seem a simple thing to fry an egg, but, like with all things, there are some rules to getting it right, like don’t overheat the pan. The eggs will stick. But for the best fried eggs, best use a non-stick pan! Also, I discovered, it’s best to use a separate pan for the eggs than for the other breakfast ingredients. That’s my standard practice these days…

I have a small separate non stick frying pan for the eggs to ensure I get them right every time…

But this breakfast whipped up in no time at all this morning did not happen until many years into our marriage. The perfection came with time, so much so that in my house, I’m the queen of the cooked breakfast. Mike marvels that I can do it so fast, and get it served with toast on a hot plate all simultaneously! When I was 21, I would never have believed I would have been capable of such an admirable feat! It has taken 28 years of constant trying to achieve this miracle!  Yes! I would have liked to have put an arm around my 21 year old self and say, “Be patient with yourself. Keep trying. Practice makes perfect.”

Now whether you are 21 or 49 and 8 months, it doesn’t mean that everything will turn out perfectly. My plan this morning was to serve Mike in bed. I had the tray out and the plate warmed, the toast buttered and the kettle boiled –  breakfast was a moment from being served, when he came downstairs. Huh? I wanted to spoil him and he was ruining my joy of serving him. At 21, I would have expressed my unhappiness of him coming downstairs and shooed him back to bed, insisting breakfast in bed was what was going to happen. But at 49 years and 8 months, I just smiled and said, ‘you’re just in time for breakfast’ and handed him the tray…

Oh what a difference 28 years makes!

The same goes for my 49 year and 8 months  self. There are new things to be learned – there is new territory to conquer. It will take patience and time. Don’t fret or be devastated. Practice makes perfect. Keep on trying. That’s the difference 28 years makes. There will always be challenges in life, but, like today, there will always be sunshine between the showers…

So no stress. Just relax!

It’s all a process…

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6

So, DON’T GIVE UP!

Keep the smile going!

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Gratitude Pic…I wrote an email to Jenna today, thanking her for the absolute pleasure I have had from the two roses she gave me on my 2nd last day at CCFm. Here they are, aging beautifully, 5 weeks and 2 days later!