Recipes for Life

Last year’s holidays were the most gastronomically satisfying for me ever.  My wife outdid herself with an array of entrees and sides and desserts that I never want to forget. Her newly introduced apple pie, for example, got better with every bite, going from the best apple pie ever, to the best pie ever to maybe the best thing I have ever eaten.

The variety of great food and company made for many “Mom and apple pie” moments with my wife, our two daughters and our oldest daughter’s fiancé – all of us full, content and surrounded by love.  And although there were only 5 of us physically together, there were others who contributed in a very important way to our delight.  They had shared a recipe.

As I looked at the beckoning buffet of leftovers one evening, I asked my wife where she had acquired the recipes.  “Oh”, she said, “The pecan pie recipe came from Linda.  The broccoli casserole from your Mom.  The Kentucky bourbon pie was Lucille’s.  And the chocolate cake was my Mom’s.”

Some of those she named were no longer living, but in many ways they all were with us in the joy of those moments.  They had helped create them.  Parents, in-laws and the wife of a former board member had all added to the happiness and satisfaction of our holiday.  They had passed on recipes that created contented moments and delicious smiles across multiple lifetimes.

As I would reheat some broccoli casserole or steal a forkful of pie from the tin, my mind kept coming back to those who had given us the recipe.  At that very moment something they had passed on was making my life better, and would do so again many more times in the future.  Thinking of them made me thankful and happy.

It also got me thinking about what other life recipes had been passed on by family, friends, mentors and even strangers who had benefitted our family’s appetite for life in other ways.  It made me consider as well, what recipes I was passing on.

I realized my Mom’s recipe for life was a mixture of steady, predictable, caring reliability.  Even in her later years, she was always there with a warming meal and a quiet, comforting, loving presence. That was important nourishment. My wife said her Mom’s most important life recipes were “A good work ethic and not to be a complainer.” The big meal my Dad served up was “Don’t wait for things to happen – go out and make them happen.”

We all have been given positive recipes for life from a variety of people who have come and maybe gone from our lives.  We have also suffered through some ugly ones that produced less than satisfying results.  But just having recipes in your cookbook doesn’t do anything for your palate.  It’s which recipes you decide to cook up that makes the difference.

What Are Your Life Recipes?

So pause and ask:

1.  Should I change the recipes I am serving up in my life right now?

Am I nourishing myself on the best personal and professional habits and attitude to face these future challenges as they unfold?

2. What recipes will I serve up and pass on to others?  There are many, many people who, by your example, you influence in small and big ways. They take in how you handle yourself.  Friends, children, parents, siblings, colleagues at work; even strangers in brief encounters.  Will they take away the aroma of courage, the taste of optimism, the consistency of strength under pressure?

Just like the instructions for baking a delicious chocolate cake, our good life recipes, will be passed down again and again…for generations.  Unfortunately, so too can bad ingredients and combinations. Because others who are very meaningful to you are observing and learning from your example, your life recipes are important…and that makes you important.  What you do and HOW YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT is important.  And that’s never truer than in the face of adversity.

So think about and commit to the ingredients of your character that you will now let dominate your life.  Determine which values, skills and emotions you will use to take control as the challenge of the future unfolds.

Will your recipe call for solid judgment, clear and realistic insights, strong ethics, and positive self-reliance?  Or will apprehension or fear or some other unnecessary negative ingredient ruin the dish?  Will you avoid adding the bitter taste of the blame game directed at yourself or others?  And will it take into account that you are nourishing not only yourself, but also serving up a very important meal for others.

Let’s use these challenging times as a motivation to commit to serving up the best ever of ourselves.   Whether it is a recipe for honesty and integrity or for strength in the face of adversity, deliver the best within you.

By doing so you will nourish a full and rewarding life for yourself, no matter what your external environment has in store.  In addition your worthy recipes will find their way into the kitchens, homes and lives of those you love, those you care about and many more you may never know.

Consistently reflect and pass on the best of your life recipes now, when they are needed most.