This weekend was my brother's birthday. The big 1-9. Because he is blessed with a summer birthday, my 83-year-old grandmother is able to make the nearly two-hour drive from Cincinnati to our suburb in Columbus.
Now, my brother is one of those guys who doesn't like cake, which means that for his birthday, he opted for his favorite dessert—Grandma's homemade lemon meringue pie. And so, on a sweltering afternoon in June, my grandmother and I made our way into the kitchen of my childhood home and started baking. It was during this sweet time with my grandma that I learned some valuable life lessons.
1. Clean as you go
While in the kitchen, Grandma suggests cleaning up after yourself as you cook. For example, after you put the pie crust in the oven, take a moment to sweep up the flour-sprinkled counter before beginning the next step. In cooking, it is a wonderful way to keep your space clean and end the process on a relatively clean note; in life, one should do the same. If you clean up after yourself, like apologizing often and rebuilding broken relationships, life will be a little cleaner along the way.
2. Messes can always be cleaned up
If Life Lesson No. 1 fails, don't worry! Life is full of opportunities to clean up what is left behind. Whether it be the egg whites that missed the bowl for the meringue or the fight you had with your best friend, you can always try to clean up life's messes. There is always a way to fix things if you want to fix them!
3. The crust will look good after it is done baking
When I had placed the pie crust into the pie pan, Grandma tried to instruct me on the proper way to fold the crust's edges. I followed her instruction, but they didn't look quite right—they didn't look like hers. But she was encouraging and told me not to worry because it would all look great after it was done baking. This was just the reminder I needed. Life may look a little scary now, but it will even itself out as I continue to live it.
4. Substitute milk for water
Grandma said to follow the instructions on the back of the lemon pudding box to create the pie filling; however, I was to substitute milk for water. I asked her why, and she said it would make the filling creamier. When I thought about how this applied to life lessons, I again found encouragement: you don't need to do what everyone else is doing. You don't need to follow the plans that are directly given to you. Instead, do something different; make something different. It might just turn out better than the world expected!
5. It'll be how it'll be
Those are the words Grandma told me when I pulled the pie crust out of the oven, worried that I may have burned the edges and made the filling too thick. "It'll be how it'll be," she told me. I think I needed to hear that, too! I'm a worrier and a control freak and a perfectionist and with five words she had put me in my place. I need to let go of things I can't control and learn to let things happen the way they are meant to happen.
So thank you, Grandma! Thank you for not only spending the afternoon helping me learn to bake pie from scratch, but also for teaching me a few life lessons along the way.
