Great Adventures

"It's the most wonderful time of the year".... For me and my family, this is the most CRAZY, wonderful time of the year! We deck the halls and then there's baking and shopping and wrapping, fa la la la la la la la la. Throw in a birthday, other than baby Jesus', right in the middle of December, and you can feel my need for a blood orange martini!

All of this aside, last night my daughter Emily and her wonderful boyfriend Karlo decided to make a gingerbread house. I suggested the milk carton, graham cracker idea and was quickly shot down. They wanted to make the gingerbread from scratch and they wanted it to be a "Greek" gingerbread house! I didn't want to squash their spirit, (well maybe a little) but I know what baking from scratch and building a house of candy and cookies entails. This project wasn't going to be as simple as they planned.

I was excited by their enthusiasm, (oh to be young and believe that everything happens fast and easy) but I wasn't sure of their time management or decorating skills. Like most college kids, they woke at 11:00, searched for nutrition, and then around 2:00 were ready to go fetch the ingredients. By the time they shopped, drew up their architectural plans, (complete with a balcony and dome) made the gingerbread, and oh, by the way, cooked dinner (FABULOUS Greek meal) and began to frame the house it was 10:15 Uuuggghhhh! I stayed for a while, curious of the method to their madness, but overwhelmed by the blobs of sugar and egg-white glue that sent me running for bed. Visions of hardened egg whites and frosting on the carpet made the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up and I feared for the disappointment of a gingerbread house gone wrong.

As I headed up the stairs, the gingerbread walls were falling and the red solo cups were breaking out. I'm not entirely sure if they were for structural support or moral support, my guess is it was a little of both. In the middle of the night came sounds of whisking, whisking, whisking. My nightmares took me to a leaning, dilapidated, blue and white mess upon my waking in the morning.

The good news: I did not crush any spirits! When I made it to the kitchen I was shocked to discover that they had accomplish gingerbread greatness! My daughter, nicknamed Em-Azing for a reason, had accomplished something I never expected. I knew she and Karlo would make the best effort of putting their gingerbread house together, for they are both hard workers, but I honestly didn't expect it to be great.

As I drank my coffee, soaking in their success. I began to think about the beauty of being young. As an older and "wiser" person, I often limit my fun factor. I determine: how much time a project will take, time is always of the essence; how much energy I will need to expend, because I am definitely old and tired. And how much knowledge I will need to execute my task successfully. This often times results in doing nothing at all or choosing an easier route, such as milk carton gingerbread houses. As young adults, Emily and Karlo were never once detoured, for their only goal was to have fun and succeed. I've come to realize that their greatest desire in any adventure or challenge that they embark upon, is not only accomplish their desired goal, but to always have fun. While I didn't doubt their ability to have fun making a gingerbread house, I didn't believe that they could make it from scratch, in the time allotted. I think Norman Vincent Peale said it best: "Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." Emily and Karlo had these very key ingredients already in place before they began their journey and therefor their success was eminent.

As my children get older and bring home wonderful friends, (the house has been bustling with so much love and laughter this holiday season) I feel blessed to be reminded, that to live life fully is to embrace each moment, believe in my abilities and take time out to have fun during this very busy season. Who knew one could learn so much though the baking of gingerbread houses.