Did you ever do something you didn’t think you were able to do? It’s a pretty good feeling.
A few years ago I couldn’t cook. Well, I probably could but I didn’t think so. I never really tried. My mother did all the cooking when I was young and Priscilla did the cooking when we got married. She was raised by her grandparents and her grandmother took the time to teach her many recipes. That routine worked for us for a number of years.
Then Priscilla went back to work after the children were older and dad was suddenly responsible for dinner a few nights a week.
We ate a lot of spaghetti and meatballs then and we usually had a take out night. I made a pretty good grilled cheese and I was a master at warming up anything in a can. And Kraft Mac and Cheese? Look out!
When the health issues started slowing me down my oldest daughter, Sarah, suggested I research a meal on-line every week and then make it.
Well what do you know? I was actually pretty good at it. And once I had some success, Priscilla was more than happy to pass the baton(or spatula) to me. She had gotten tired of coming up with ideas and cooking every night. In fact, for our 35th wedding anniversary she even gave me a few cookbooks with the inscription, “Here’s to 35 years and 35 more with you doing the cooking!”
Cooking was even part of my occupational therapy after my stroke.
I didn’t realize it at the time but the measuring and mixing and dicing and slicing were all skills I had to relearn. I remember the therapist from Community Nurse coming over one day and saying, “Today you’re going to make you and your wife lunch. Show me how it’s done.”
So I’ve been cooking for awhile now but I tried a new recipe the other night (Chicken burrito bowls) that came out pretty good and I realized again — “Hey! This is fun! I actually did that!”
I don’t claim to be a great cook or even the master of the grill but I do all right. There are a few favorite dishes and I may even try some ribs on the barbecue soon. I do make my own Alfredo sauce that I think is better than the stuff that comes in the jar. I always try to cook something the family will like and I’m happy when someone goes back for seconds. That’s a good sign right? They wouldn’t do that unless they enjoyed it.
Every now and then it’s just a nice feeling when you realize you can actually do something the younger you thought you couldn’t do. Can you relate?
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