life's to short to not crimp the edges

{& other ramblings on baking & living a joy filled life}

Over Christmas , I had the blessing of traveling home. As a single girl, I don't have the opportunity to cook for others near as often as I would like to. Unfortunately, cooking a four course meal for one person is not feasible in my every day life. Leftovers of leftovers on day 6 aren't nearly as appealing as the beginning product. During both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I took full advantage of being surrounded by family and took over the kitchen for as many meals as I could. 

In addition to cooking , I had to jump on the opportunity to bake and not intake all the calories myself. Baking is nothing new in my life. When I was in Texas a few weeks ago, I was thumbing through old photo albums and found a picture of me around age 4 standing on a chair by the counter in the kitchen with an apron on and flour covering my clothes. Baking is my release. I love the process putting ingredients together to make something both beautiful and delicious.

In the past, I stuck to cookies, cakes, brownies, etc. Growing up, I was under the delusion that I didn't like fruit pie, and if I didn't like it, why would I bake it? Boy, was I wrong. Two Christmas's ago in Colorado, after a family dinner, we started talking about pie. The next thing I knew, I was on the way to the store to buy ingredients for both a blueberry and a cherry pie. I quickly learned that my previous assumptions about pie could be equivocated to a five year olds perception of vegetables. My eyes (and my palate) were opened.

Sticking with tradition, I once again made "Christmas" pie this year. Before I began the process, I got it in my head that a normal braided crust wouldn't be enough. My mind wandered back to a play dough tool my sister and I used growing up. It resembled a small pizza cutter but had wavy edges allowing for "crimped" edges on our creations. I decided I needed it for my pie crust, and my gracious mother went with me into our attic to search for the sculpting tool. The attic was filled with remnants from my childhood including Polly Pockets and Tinker Toys, however, the playdough tool was no where to be found. I resigned to go into the kitchen and create an ordinary pie crust.

Fast Forward. A couple of days ago, I went to my mailbox and had a package from home. My sweet mom had found a pastry crimper (turns out Betty Crocker knocked of Play Dough's design) and put it in the mail for me. As soon as I opened the package, I started racking my brain for something or someone could bake a pie for. My mind drew a blank, but instant gratification won me over, and, before I knew it, I was baking an apple pie, crimped edges and all (Disclaimer: I did not eat this entire pie myself. Shame on you for thinking that).

Did the crimped edges make a difference in the way the pie tasted? Honestly, no. But, did they make a difference? Yes.



Life's too short to not crimp the edges. 

Every day, we have a choice. Are you going to make your life ordinary, or are you going to go the extra mile to add a dash of meaning to your days.

A couple of days ago, I received a text from my friend Allie. She is one of the most genuine-hearted and wise women I know. After reading these words she sent me. I am sure you will agree. 

She said, " Why does the world revolve around money? Why not the exchange of a smile, a long embrace of strangers, a single flower, the whisper of 'thank you' and I love you? Oh, the joy the world would be filled with...Struggles would fade. Calm consideration for others would take its place. People would say 'how do you do' and listen when spoken to. 'Living' would take on a whole new meaning."

 What kind of living are you doing?

Several things have happened and come to my attention this week that have reminded me the importance of slowing down, stopping to smell the roses, and adding a dose of intentionality to my daily choices. As we go through our days, checking off our lists and moving onto the next thing on the schedule, we too often become one-tracked. We become "me" focused and set our path straight to reaching our intended goal, failing to recognize the people and opportunities that lay on the path all along the way.

Perhaps there is a way to go through our days accomplishing our goals, but also taking in our surroundings, making sure not to overlook anything or anyone God has put in our paths unexpectedly. I for one know that my plans don't always match up with His. Assuming that is true, shouldn't the things not on my list, those things coming from Him, be the things I am focusing my attention on? 

Will I still make it through my day if I don't stop to tell those I love I care about them? Probably. Will the world stop turning if you bypass someone in need? It hasn't so far. Does a task oriented lifestyle inhibit you from experiencing the joy filled life God intended for you? I'll let you answer that question.

Life's too short to not crimp the edges. Stop to say hello. Ask questions with care and intentionality. Be a blessing and observe the blessings God places right in front of you.

And if in doubt, bake the pie. Crimp the edges. There is always someone waiting to share it.