Lessons: Special Weekend Edition

Not all lessons occur Monday-Friday. Sometimes they explode all over the counter in a cloud of orange dust on a Saturday night. Welcome to the weekend edition of lessons I’ve learned. As an adult. Because we should never stop learning.

Coffee does not fit well into pockets.

To be fair, my travel coffee mug fits snugly in the front pocket of my hiking pants, which is useful when I need an extra hand for balance temporarily. However, if the lid is not spill proof… and you climb up the side of a creek… it spills all through your pocket and your pants (magically down both legs?) and you look like you peed all over yourself. And you still have 2 miles to go. Meeting other hikers and their families along the way. Congratulations Jessica. You’re an adult.

Don’t put spicy sauce on top of spicy things.

Especially if you don’t like spicy things.

I love the spicy ranch dipping sauce from our favorite local pizza place. So much that I tried to find a comparable version from the store with fair success. But I forgot the taco guts I made were accidentally too spicy… so in my haste to eat my reheated leftovers, I poured it all over the top of the aforementioned guts (which are now more spicy). Look, I’m Polish. Spicy makes my nose turn more red. We don’t do spicy.

Do not vigorously shake the packet of powdered cheese.

I love to cook but I don’t make everything from scratch. Especially not the perfected concoction that is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I’m not the only one that does this right? Shake the little white package that holds the magic cheese powder? Yeah so… half the magic powder made its way into the toaster, knife block, behind the basket of dish towels… and up my nose. Too much shaking equals ripped packet. And the need to add shredded cheese to the pot to compensate. #achievementunlocked

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What do all of these things have in common?

I need to pay more attention. I need to play out the decision a few steps forward.

In my rush to complete a task I may not think through the downstream impacts of my choice. I could have rested the coffee cup on the ledge. I could have picked the regular bottle of ranch from the fridge. I could have shaken that little white packet like normal, and not like I was on some episode of Chopped, with the timer coming down to the wire.

Where else do I need to slow down and pay more attention? Where else do I need to think it through with intention and not just rush to put a checkmark in the box on the growing list of things to do?

I saw several spiderwebs on my hike this weekend. They were intricate. Impressive. And time consuming to make. But when done well and made well with care, they provide the spider exactly what it needs. If a spider tries to cut corners or rush it can fall off. Literally. It can miss several meals. It’s life depends on its patience, its attention to detail. It’s ability to think through the next step.

My life is better when I am patient. When I pay attention. When I slow down and think before I act. Before I speak.

And at the very least my mouth isn’t on fire. At the very least my kitchen isn’t such a mess… and neither are my pants.