What do you have cooking up in 2014?
The first true recipe that she graciously 'taught' me was putting together a spaghetti sauce. There were so many ingredients and I thought mom doesn't even measure! I was about 12 or 13 when this cooking experiment took place. When I was given the opportunity to make it for the family I was a bit nervous. I replayed all the parts to making the sauce; a blend that would taste like mom's. Did I put the right amount of everything in? Did I fry up the ground beef right, or put enough oregano in? Maybe I cut up too many onion pieces, or didn't dice them just right. I noticed for the first time when cooking this sauce that an onion I peeled, and cut through its layers, had a paper thin layer that stuck to my fingers - surely this wasn't a good thing. I discarded it.
I'm not sure if my final product that first time was exactly like my mom's or not but I didn't regret trying to live up to pleasing and learning something new - I'd get better at it.
No regrets. Yes, I could have failed miserably but, like that lithe, bothersome covering of onion between the layers, regrets are useless.
This New Year cast aside the regrets and move on. Get the ingredients that you know will make you a better person and start anew...tell yourself you'll get it right sooner or later, but to not try would be like leaving something in a recipe that you could have taken out so as to not mess up. Allowing regrets in your daily life this New Year will be of no value. Regrets only leave a bad taste in your mouth if you fail to try harder next time and truly look for ways to improve. Discard and look forward. Sometimes we have to let go of regrets in the past to move to the next step in the recipe. Create a meal this 2014 that is not just satisfying but will lead to you and others ... asking for more.