A Taste of Success

I made a coconut smoothie for breakfast yesterday.

My mom made them a few times last week and they were so good! 

She left a whole bunch of young coconuts that I get to use.

But, when my mom cooks, she doesn't follow a recipe.

So she can't give me exact instructions if I want to recreate it.

She just says, "Add until it tastes good."

She likes to give everyone small amounts of each of the different concoctions and see which one everyone likes best. I think she would say, "That's part of the fun of it!"

But that's not how I work. I like to follow the instructions. 

I don't trust myself to get it right. 

And I don't want to have something I've worked on to turn out bad and realize I've wasted my time.

A couple of weeks ago we made salad dressing together.

It's just oil and vinegar and a little bit of mustard. Maybe some cilantro. Maybe some lemon.

As we started making it, I wrote down the recipe.

So I would know how to make it again in the future.

On Monday I asked her how to make her zucchini soup.

"Saute two onions and four or five cloves of garlic. Cook zucchini." 

(How much zucchini?!) 

"Blend everything in blender. Add 1 cube of butter for a large batch." 

(Is this a large batch?!)

"Salt, pepper, cumin and whatever other seasoning you like -- 

oregano, or chili or cardamom or ginger or???"

 (How much salt and pepper?! How do I know if I like the flavor of those other spices?!)

My mom would say, "Just try it."

And I would say, "I don't want to ruin it."

And she would say, "Put a little bit in a bowl and add some and see what you think." 

And I would answer, "That's too hard. I need to know how much. I don't want to be wrong."

So yesterday when I made my coconut smoothie, I imagined my mom with me saying, 

"I'll help you." 

And I tried. I added the water and the meat of one young coconut.

I guessed at how much ice to add.

Then I tasted it. It was good.

I added papaya. I just put in a bunch. I didn't measure.

I added some vanilla. It was too much. But it didn't ruin it.

I added some stevia. Just a few drops to start.

And it turned out really, really good.

It made me wonder if my mom is still mothering me.

Does she see what's hard for me and know that making a recipe without instructions

is just a small part of a bigger issue?

That it's important to be willing to take risks.

To remember that failure is a step closer to success.

To see that everything doesn't get ruined so easily.

Thanks mom. I love you.