Photo courtesy of Slice Of Chic via Flickr |
"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest " - William Blake
Don’t tell a turkey, but I really don’t like them. We
have some that travel in our woods and it’s a bit creepy how these humongous chunky
birds roost in trees. They aren’t particularly good looking and they can be
very violent and will happily charge at you without notice. They will be
pleased to learn that I really don’t enjoy eating them either. To me, turkey
tastes bland and dry and perhaps it can be chalked up to the lack of cooking
skills in our family tree. I just haven’t met a turkey that I like.
On Thanksgiving Day I am definitely more of a stuffing kind
of gal. The taste of moist stuffing that has aged and been nourished by the
cooking turkey is a treat. There are so many tasty and unique stuffing recipes
and I’m willing to try them all. Meats, veggies, nuts, spices, herbs, berries,
breads are all options for personalizing your stuffing. These ingredients mimic
the paints that an artist uses to create a unique picture. Cooks create their
own work of art that really brings out the best from within the turkey and
brings the meal together.
Stay with me for a minute and imagine yourself as a
turkey – pretend that it’s not Thanksgiving. We have all been one at one time
or another. Our kids probably think it every day! What kind of stuffing would
you have inside you? Don’t just reflect on the ingredients, texture, and smell.
Really think of what is inside. Does your “stuffing” reflect who you really
are? If you have strong values are they truly being reflected outside in your
day to day activities? Are you growing and nourishing your “stuffing” so that
it is served as the best part of you?
If you are a stuffing lover like me, you want to add the ingredients
that really reflect your tastes and that you enjoy. You want your stuffing to
reflect who you are and really “wow” others. So I ask you, what are your most effective
“stuffing” ingredients?
- Garbage in, garbage out. Strive for adding optimum ingredients and you will be rewarded. Surrounding yourself with people who challenge you will bring out your best
- Join local Meet Up groups to add some spice and companionship with like minds
- Read 30 minutes every day. Ingesting words will impact your written and verbal communication
- Meditate daily. Relax and look within to bring out your best in the form of gratitude, serenity, and calmness in confronting issues and openness
- Volunteer. Appreciate what you have by giving back and adding to others
- Set goals and follow them. Set goals weekly so that you focus on them
- Seek out new learning. There is a plethora of online learning opportunities or TED talk to beef up your mind
- Find a coach to guide you. Cooking the best stuffing is achieved by lessons and practice. Find someone to teach you how to make and bake the best in you
- Change is good. Why not change up your recipe for success? Try something new. Allow yourself to add new or different ingredients
- Be willing to try the recipes of others. Watch and listen to what other people are doing to perform or achieve and mimic some of the best
- Don’t hoard your recipe for success. Share it will others and be willing to guide them through the “stuffing” process
You really are what you learn, do, and give back every
day. The best is always inside you as is the stuffing is in our Thanksgiving
turkey. Take the time to add premium ingredients throughout the cooking
process, allow it to simmer and reach its potential, and take that “stuffing”
out this week to allow others to enjoy.
What ingredients will you be adding to your “stuffing”
for the remainder of the year? Hopefully you will look at stuffing in a whole
new way and Happy Thanksgiving!