MJ is a great cook.
She makes some truly wonderful dishes—call them “signature meals” if you will—that I love. Her go-to dinners include a scrumptious chicken portabella mushroom casserole, mean stuffed calzones and homemade mac & cheese that truly epitomizes what comfort food is all about.
But despite her repertoire of culinary masterpieces, I don’t know what my favorite meal is. And that’s because she hasn’t made it yet.
When I see MJ poking around the fridge and the cabinets before dinnertime, one eyebrow raised and her lips pursed and puffed out, I get excited. She wanders from the pantry to the fridge, and back to the pantry. Then she pulls something out of the freezer. Bottles of something or other clank as ingredients are gathered. A smorgasbord of food, spices and flavorings sits on the counter in perceived pandemonium. And then she says the words I’ve been waiting for:
“This is probably gonna suck and taste terrible because I’ve never done it before, but I’m going to try something new.”
It’s never sucked. It’s never tasted terrible. I have no idea how she does it, but every single time she’s uttered that sentence, MJ has managed to throw together a host of seemingly unrelated food items and turned it into a meal fit for a king. Or in my case, a filthy peasant.
So what does this have to do with the price of asparagus?
Life is once again tossing a few curve balls our way. Because of several factors I won’t get into here, we might not be in our condo for too much longer. I don’t know where we’ll go. I’m not sure what we’ll do for work if we have to leave. Our future is in total flux and the uncertainty can be flat-out daunting at times.
But oddly enough, I’m not that worried.
We have family and friends who would take us in if it came to that. We’re both qualified, hard-working people who have experience and education needed to get jobs. And I’m a big believer that opportunity presents itself at opportune times.
Portions of our lives are scattered all to hell right now. But I know what looks like a mess is really all the necessary ingredients to happiness. We just need to round them all up, sprinkle in a little luck and bake to perfection. Then the unrecognizable mess we’re currently in will turn into something truly great.
I know it will probably suck at first and be a little terrifying for awhile because we’ve never done it before, but we’re going to try something new.
And it’s going to work.
I am sorry to hear that you are going through all that right now. The unknown can be super scary, but it sounds like you and MJ are coping the best you can.
If I have learned anything these past few months it’s that you need to take things one day at a time, one issue at a time. I know, it’s played out, cliche, hyperbole etc…but it’s so true.
Hang in there, you guys are lucky…you have an incredible support system. And you are right, you will be fine.
While the uncertain can be scary it can also be very exciting. Love the analogy to your wife’s cooking! Best of luck!
You have no idea how creepy this post is for me. My family LOVES it when I put a disclaimer on a meal. They swear that means it’s going to be effin delicious. We’ve also gone through the application of that analogy.
I may just not have enough coffee in me yet but this post made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I adore this entry. i’m the single lady with the cat, but once upon a time I was in a relationship and I used to “whip things up” that i thought were nothing special and each time my ex loved them. It made me feel so good – I never had much faith in my cooking.
I really hope everything works out ok for you, but I have a feeling it will. You’re a beautiful, strong family unit.
Wow. I look forward to Jess’s meals especially when she castigates the prospects of it turning out good. My mouth waters every time she sells a dish short.
And I hope the similarities don’t end there, either. Our family has an uncanny way of landing on our feet when times get hard. I wish you, and yours, the same.