Making It Up As I Go
Is creating the secret to living?
I learned of a recipe blog recently called, The Mediterranean Dish. A friend’s sister shared about it during our monthly book club. To say it’s life-changing would be an exaggeration, but my life has been significantly more delicious since testing some recipes, so you be the judge. Historically, I haven’t enjoyed following recipes or doing much cooking (expect just enough to be fed for a few days). For some reason — maybe my place, time, age? — my interest in cooking has shifted. I wouldn’t say I’m chomping at the bit to get cooking every day (I know it’s “champing” but chomping feels more fitting here), but I will say I’m finding joy in making more meals than I have in the past.
I was making the Greek-Style Eggplant the other night, and while I was listening to my beloved local radio station I couldn’t help but notice the pleasure I was getting from making this dish. I chuckled with every squeaky cut of eggplant, grinned with delight as I carefully and uniformly (nod to sous chefs everywhere!) diced the carrots and onions. I was intoxicated by the smell of spices warming in the pot. The simple act of doing made me feel more alive, more connected to the world.
I’ve been fascinated with the idea of work for a long time. I think because I always saw people around me working so hard, but not often appearing (or likely feeling) fulfilled. I tended to think that work was something you had to do. A chore. A task that must be done. I started “working” (had a paid job) from the time I was 13. I’ve worked in restaurants, at summer camps, in retail. I’ve been a personal assistant, a finance clerk, a classroom teacher. I like wearing different hats. I found joy in each role, and gratitude for each opportunity. This past month though, I stopped working, in the traditional sense. That’s not to say I’m not making use of myself. I’m just currently not being paid to do anything specific. (HELLO WOMEN EVERYWHERE.)
Surprisingly, if only to me — being unemployed is actually helping me fall in love with working. Finding value on my own, as opposed to being told what my work is worth seems, well, invaluable. Knowing that I have the ability to make and create things, just for the sake of doing, is pretty darn cool, and dare I say — liberating. What a gift.
Of course, I couldn’t do this without a load of privileges that have been bestowed upon me. I’m not naive enough to think that everyone could just take a break from employment and find joy in work. I’m just hopeful that someone, somewhere will consider working on something that brings them life, even especially if it’s not something they get paid to do.
One piece of wisdom from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that I come back to time and time again is this…
“I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way the world is made. I didn’t make it that way, but this is the interrelated structure of reality.”
Naturally, I can’t help but think about all the lives lost, everyday, without opportunities to do or even dream. Especially without a #ceasefire & end to war everywhere. I read recently about how each loss of life is an entire universe, a whole world gone. The magnitude of this isn’t lost on me. (I hope it’s not lost on you, either. I hope your empathy is still intact.) We may never completely be what we’re meant to be in this life, because of the way we disregard each other. Cast aside those who aren’t like us. Ignore the true value of their humanity, as equal to our own. (I think here in the western world this might be related to how little we actually value our own humanity and lives, but that’s for another time.)
For now, I want to encourage you, and me, to focus whatever energy you can spare on making things. Maybe it’s 10 minutes first thing in the morning, a half-hour of your lunch break. Maybe it’s a few moments before you sleep. Whenever it is, and whatever you make, will you share it with me? I want to know what makes you - you. What it is you ought to be, what brings you to life. Even if you’re not sure yet, what’s something you’re currently working on?
You might be…
Making space
Making a cake
Making peace
Making a family
Making time
Making a way for yourself
Making music
The list goes on. Part of the beauty is there’s no right or wrong thing to make. You just have to do it.
I’m working on making a few things (in addition to more tasty Mediterranean meals). Here’s a snapshot of my morning work, of course it changes a bit day-to-day:
Make my bed
Make a small painting
Make my body move (stretch/walk)
Make breakfast
Make space for connection
Years ago a fast but fleeting friend gifted me a book called, The Crossroads of Should and Must. It’s one of those that I could only barely appreciate at the time, but was so deeply needed, and this beautiful friend knew it. I revisit it often, mining some new gems, and being reminded of others each time. Elle Luna, the author writes, "All too often we feel that we are not living the fullness of our lives because we are not expressing the fullness of our gifts."
Similarly, a snippet from A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut resurfaced on my feed.
"Go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something."
While my love for Mr. Vonnegut runs deep, I do want to add that creating doesn’t have to be limited to the arts. I think making, more generally, is a form of creating that has the same effect of “making life more bearable”. It also allows us to discover who we are - if we’re mindful in recognizing the profound power making has on us. Even if we’re all making it up as we go.
I’m beginning to see that work begets more work, and isn’t that thrilling? Knowing there’s always something to do, something new to try or experience. Starting something, anything, can lead you to a moment of inspiration, curiosity, reflection. It can create more moments for making. Soon enough, I think we’ll all find that what you make, makes you. And in the timeless words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” So, let’s get to it.
Until next time.
I’m trying to make a way for myself and find a new normal .