Accepting our Humanness

Sunday was Easter, and Dave and I hosted the holiday dinner which included both of our families. I love having family over! The menu was carefully planned ahead of time, with consideration given as to who can eat what and who really likes this dish or that one, etc.

A couple of the dishes I included in our menu were new recipes. One was an appetizer that I thought would be especially wonderful, but it turned out to be not-so-fantastic.

Oh well.

On a another occasion a few months ago, I brought a special cheesecake dessert I made from scratch for a potluck, and unknown to me, when it was sliced, it became immediately evident that it was not baked all the way through. It sloshed out onto the plate as mush. Embarrassing.

I followed the recipe instructions perfectly in my mind, it was baked for exactly the right length of time, and I allowed for a slight "jiggle" when I pulled it out of the oven. I surely didn't want it to be over-dry and overcooked, and I thought that the jiggle I observed was desirable -- just as it was described in the cookbook!

Thankfully, my failed recipes don't happen too often. I've gained a reputation among family members on both sides for being a wonderful cook. I enjoy trying out new flavors and cooking techniques, and I'll admit, I  sometimes take the risk of trying such things for the very first time when there is an occasion to cook for.

As with anything in life, no matter how hard we try, failure is bound to happen. But one thing is also true: We tend to magnify our own shortcomings in our own minds, but it's not as likely that others will consider those things nearly as memorable.

So often, we strive for perfection. We look in a mirror and immediately focus on flaws... but just as that pimple on your cheek might ruin an evening out for you; others aren't even likely to make note of it -- and if they do, they're more likely to flashback to an instance when they may have had a similar issue going on, affecting their own sense of self-perception.

For my Easter dinner, I made ten dishes -- 3 choices of appetizers, a honey glazed ham with 4 unique sides for a main course, and I offered 3 different and delicious options for dessert. And, while I realized there were an awful lot of Thai shrimp appetizers still left untouched when picking up afterward, not a single guest commented. I guess there were too many other yummy things to enjoy! I received plenty of compliments.

Emphasizing failure does no good. Learn from mistakes, but get over it. We all make them, but don't let criticism get in the way. Freely try new things! And accept that you're human.