It’s the day before grocery day in the Taipe house. That means the simplest of all suppers was made, because ingredients are low. I stared into the refrigerator and cabinets with a blank look on my face for minutes thinking, “we don’t have any food.” I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s done this before. Eventually I found enough pieces to make the same meal I made 2 days ago.
But as my husband worked hard all evening I felt he deserved a special treat. Usually when it comes time to make a treat, it must be planned. As we have a very small kitchen with almost no storage space, we don’t have a lot of fancy ingredients on hand, like chocolate chips, blueberries, canned peaches, or anything else I would need to make a lot of dessert recipes I have. But I almost always have my basics: flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and spices. Today I took two other basic grocery items (oats & bananas) I whipped up some banana oat muffins. Of course, as a Brown, I sprinkled in nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger, so they’re a little spicy. But oh so good. And as I watched the 4 layer pile slowly dwindle down to a single layer, I realized an often overlooked truth.
Day 22: Don’t focus too much on what you don’t have; make use of what you do have. Especially around the Christmas season, this is especially hard. Many of us are thinking through suggestions for what others could give us, or at the very least imagining what we could get. But it’s easy to look into a full closet and think you have nothing to wear, because you know others have fancier or even just more clothes. Sometimes the one who truly gives value to what you have is you. Sure, there’s w world full of things I don’t have, but what I have I can use for some great purposes.
Brown Bag Adventures 