Day 88: Just so you know

. . . the mail goes here.

Day 87: The Rest of the Story

I remember as a kid listening to the local radio and every week hearing Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story." If you're not familiar, it was a great program that highlighted the backstory of a current day staple of some kind - whether product or service. 

I loved it. 

So much so, that I can't actually recall what a single episode was about - BUT I do know I thoroughly enjoyed every episode and consistently "whoa"ed and "wow"ed out loud.

So, in honor of Paul here's my take (see if you can figure out which previous post you're getting background on) -

Cashew-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce featuring: Eggplant!!!

I recently came across a recipe for this and, as one who "likes to hide vegetables in things" as declared by an old roommate, I was intrigued. 

It was pictured on nachos and my friend, Vegan Sam, was coming over soon. It would be the perfect time to try it out! 

Twould be the perfect NACHO NIGHT!

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Well, the cheese sauce didn't really work out . . . so we got some vegan cheese from the store. 

As we were preparing our feast Sam let me in on a little tidbit. 

Sam: "Vegan cheese doesn't melt the same as regular cheese."

Me: "Oh. ..Will it melt at all??!"

 

Sam: "Yeah, a little bit."

 

We put the nachos in the oven and knew it was time to take them out when the chips started burning!

The cheese didn't really melt.

After a few minutes of eating I exclaimed, "I found a melty part!"

 

This happened a total of once the entire night. 

 

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Success depends on how you define it. 

Take vegan nacho night - to some it would be considered a total fail, but to us it was a win. 

We had ONE  melty part!! And we weren't expecting any! AND our chips eventually got soggy - just like dairy laden nachos!! And, most importantly, they tasted delicious! 

Would vegan cheese catch on as a suitable medium for the classic nacho base? For those looking to define their expectations by time with others, experiences, and surprise - I'd like to think, yes.

I'm Sarah Pietruszka, and now you know, The Rest of the Story.

Day 86: To care or not to care?

You shouldn't care what others think.

How many times have we heard or uttered some iteration of this concept?

How many times, if you're like me, have you found yourself thinking, "I know I'm not supposed to care what other people think, but . . ." as if caring what other people think is bad or wrong.

I get that if 'what other people think' is fuel for comparisons, self-doubt, feelings of lack or worthlessness, it might not be in one's best interest to listen too closely. But what about the other side of the coin?

What about the times when 'what people think' is largely positive? Or complimentary? Or validating?

Are we still open to hearing it?

What if caring what other people think could give a lens through which to view oneself in a positive regard from an objective perspective? Not only in the moment but going forward.

I think about many times in my life where I've received a compliment and immediately shot it down or minimized it:
"Oh it's not a big deal, anyone could do it."

Or questioned the sincerity or truth of praise received from others:
'They just said that to be nice - they probably don't really mean it.'

But here's the truth, people don't just make up good qualities in others so they can compliment them. They speak to what they see and experience.

Often it is our own fears, insecurities and, surprisingly, even our deepest desires, that block our ability to see our own greatness - our skills, strengths, gifts and talents. 

So next time you receive praise from someone, go a step beyond just accepting the compliment - and believe it.

Day 85: Nacho Night

"I found a melty piece!!"

Exclaimed once during Nacho Night.

And now I know what vegan cheese is like . . .

Day 84: One person's trash . . .

Apparently should STAY trash!!

" TRASH! DO NOT TAKE!! It has bugs :( "

I have mixed feelings about seeing this at the dumpsters of my apartment building.

On one hand - 

"Wow, that's SO nice of the person to leave a note!"

But on the other - 

"AHHHH, someone in my building has [bed]bugs?!"

Day 83: Happy Easter!

 

Nothing says Happy Easter like a hat parade!

You can't have Easter without springtime - and nothing says Springtime like nature!

Budding trees

Growing leaves

And Butterfly Ghosts!

With all new things that come with this time of year, it can be nice to reflect on our own lives. 

What are we ready to shed and leave behind with winter? 

What do we want to work towards and blossom with the warming weather?

Day 82: Answered Prayers

I never really knew what it meant for a prayer 'to be answered.' I think in my childhood mind I heard this and envisioned whatever it was the person was praying for to somehow just magically appear. Some people had to pray a lot longer than others to have their prayers answered. And still others never would.

To me, it seemed similar to the lottery. You buy your ticket(s) - say your prayer(s) - and hope that you'll be the winner. And if you 'won' - if your prayer was answered it would be in a big, profound, obvious(ly visible) way.

Yeah, that's never happened to me. So it's no wonder I didn't think any of my prayers were answered. Or, more importantly, I just thought prayers being answered was akin to the luck of the draw.

This is before I found coaching.

My mind up to this point had been trained to only register 'big' things, blindly overlooking the rest. 

I recall my older sister once responding to my questioning of what might be my blind-spots (in life). She said I often overlooked opportunities right in front of me. Fast forward five years later, I can clearly see that these opportunities that I overlooked right in front of me weren't 'big' enough to be picked up on my radar at the time.

It is overtime, with life and experience, that our radar and perspective changes. It is with coaching that this happens much quicker and by our choosing, rather than leaving it up to chance or fate.

So how does this relate to answered prayers? Because 'to see' is a choice. And I'm not literally talking about the cones and rods and light dynamics of eyes that make vision possible.

I'm talking about one's ability, or rather willingness, to perceive and be aware.

When I started learning about coaching and then working with my own coach, I greatly increased my awareness - across the board. Awareness of my thoughts, feelings, perspectives, beliefs, judgements.

It was with this heightened observation that I was able to understand information that, as a child, wasn't able to hit as it was intended.

You ever have the experience where someone's trying to teach you something and you're just not getting it? Then a different person comes around and teaches the exact same information, but from a slightly different angle and it all makes sense?

It's like that.

Coaching allowed me to expand my range of comprehension so things I didn't fully understand were now taking on a whole new meaning and providing substantial clarity along the way.

I was making the choice 'to see.' I was willing 'to see.' And as a result, I began 'to see' the world around me in subtle, but different ways.

An idea I've always championed is that every experience is a learning opportunity. It provides skills and information needed to navigate forward on your unique life path. 

Curious, that this strongly held belief had no association with answered prayers; at least until I was 32 years old (and almost 33 - my Jesus yr!).

Prayers are, by and large, offered up subtly; and so too, are the answers to these prayers. It takes a willing ear and open mind to fully see them. It might also require a different vocabulary, as answered prayers have many synonyms including insight, intuition, divine guidance - and heck, even coincidence!

Contrary to what childhood Sarah would have you believe, answered prayers don't instantly solve your problems or take them away. They don't grant all your wishes or magically  make your dreams come true. But they do give you the confirmation, tools & resources needed to overcome every hurdle & obstacle you come across and help you climb every ladder & mountain to the dreams of your heart.