the foundation i am laying now… the things i’m doing to better myself and set the stage for my future career… it’s a lot like my great idea to grab a roast and throw it in the crock pot on low overnight.
building my future is basically exactly like slow cooking.
i start with a recipe (or a Really Good Idea) and gather the ingredients. i put them in a pot and turn the heat on. about 3am, the whole house starts smelling GOOD.
i dreamed of the roast. a whole feast where all of my friends are around, and the pot seems to be bottomless. there’s always enough for everyone. it’s jovial. it was really wonderful.
i also regularly dream of my future. specifically, i dream of my future office space.
the walls are painted a deep navy blue with gold accents all around. i have tables covered with butcher paper and painted coffee cans filled with colored pencils, crayons, and markers. bluetooth speakers hang in the corners. there are easels set up with blank canvases, and tubes of acrylic paint hang on a homemade peg board (long nails driven into a sheet of wood, basically).
it feels intentional, the homemade-ness of it all. like i know that i chose not to have the fancy containers or shelves. i painted and built everything i wanted for this space by hand.
there is a refrigerator, and i know it’s full of water and drinks, snacks, and individually packaged sheet masks. there are cold packs in there too, which is a trick i picked up for self-regulation from my physical therapist.
that office space is in the slow cooker right now. i know it. it’s my true north. it is much easier to hit a target you’re aiming at, rather than just firing away and hoping you hit something good, you know?
my lunch today was just divine. it was fulfilling. after smelling the cooking all night, dreaming about it, and finally being able to make a plate at lunch time today… there was nothing that could have been better.
one of the funniest parts? i didn’t have any packets of ranch powder! which is like, an integral ingredient, if you’re not familiar with the mississippi pot roast recipe. i had JUST gotten home from the store, and i wasn’t fucking going back because i just didn’t want to.
know what i did? i used popcorn seasoning, that was ranch flavored. because i already had it on hand. i knew it was good, even if being thrown on a pot roast was not at all it’s intended use.
it turned out great anyway, honestly. a little saltier than normal, but still so delicious, even if it was different from what i expected.
so now i’m less worried about doing everything exactly right and open to more experimentation. i fucked around and found out that it was still just as good as i wanted it to be.
i know by this time next year i will be so grateful to myself for laying all the groundwork. i will be elated with my past self then, in the same way i was grateful for last-night-me today. everything i do today is me throwing it all in the pot.
now i’m not intending on this ever being a recipe blog, but if this experience has taught me anything, it’s that putting my future together is a lot like cooking from the heart. add the important parts, put it together with the experience i’ve gained before, and then season until my spirit tells me that it’s good.
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