I am a food show junkie. If I want to watch something on TV, which isn’t all that often, and I don’t have something specific in mind, I will always defer to a cooking show or foodie show of some sort. Chef’s Table is my current favorite in case you need a rec. I also happen to love Master Chef Junior. Those kids can cook!!
What I love about cooking is how fluid it is in terms of interpretation. Take charcuterie for example. I didn’t know what this was until just a few years ago. My husband and I had to google it when we were going to a dinner so we wouldn’t look like country bumpkins. It’s a fancy name for a platter of deli meat and veggies. And sweetbreads… it sounds nice but it’s animal guts. A croquet-monsieur is fancy for grilled cheese.
A chef can make tacos a gourmet dish just by calling them “deconstructed tacos”. Or if they mess up a dish, it automatically takes on the esteemed title of “deconstructed”. By using this term, guilt and shame are instantly released and the chef can present his/her dish with a sense of pride.
In the spirit of the new year, in the spirit of releasing guilt, and simply being realistic with what I can and can’t do, I offer my list of deconstructed resolutions, aka things I won’t do in 2018.
- I won’t read 100 books. I won’t even read 50. I am an avid cheerleader of those who will but I think I read 12 last year and that’s more than I ever have in probably all of my previous years combined. No, I’m not proud of this but I am also not feeling guilty about it either. As a deep and slow processor, it takes me so long to read a book. I have set a goal for 20 but I’m not sure I’ll even reach that goal.
- I won’t buy a new planner. I have serious drool issues with planners. I see them, I admire them. I want them all. But I buy one (or three) every year but I never use them. Then I can’t throw them away so they sit there and taunt me. I bought a bullet journal and some fun colorful calligraphy pens and I plan to use that but I’m sure it won’t be pretty.
- I won’t delete social media apps from my phone. To be clear, I don’t fault those who do and I even admire them for their discipline. It’s just not for me. I like being connected. Sure, maybe I spend too much time staring at a screen sometimes, but I refuse to feel guilty about wanting to keep up with the adventures and stories of those I love – even on the weekends.
- I won’t “do it all”. At my age, I am keenly aware of my weaknesses and limitations. I’m going to be okay with them. I aim to find a healthy balance between the “Mary and Martha” in me. I like to call her Marytha. I don’t see why we should be one or the other. Both women are valuable in the Body of Christ.
- I won’t stop drinking coffee. And that’s enough about that.
A friend recently wrote this post about starting out the new year as a child. It’s so good! I hope you’ll read it. I do have a “word of the year” for this year, intentional, but Anna’s post really caused me to stop and think about how I could approach this new year, with my “one word” in mind, as a child approaches Jesus.
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-4
As Anna’s post made me think, I hope this post will cause you to think about what you can and can’t, will and won’t, should and shouldn’t do in the coming year.
What choices do you need to make that will release the guilt and shame we so often heap on ourselves?
What can you do to deconstruct something normal to present it as something gourmet?
Andrea Stunz is a committed wife, an incredibly blessed mom, a grateful mother-in-law and a ridiculously proud Gimi. She is a seasoned traveler from south Texas. Having visited countries all over the globe and lived in Brazil, Singapore and the UK, she finds hope and comfort in a beautiful sunrise and a good cup of coffee. Andrea is a self-proclaimed stumbling pilgrim who is ever so grateful for grace. She longs to encourage others in their stories by sharing a part of hers because “a story worth living is a story worth sharing”. Find more of her work over at andreastunz.com.
See more of her contributions for allmomdoes here.
