The Art of Marinating in IT!

At first glance, I imagine your first thought after reading the title is you are going to get a recipe out of it. Well, I am actually here to share the art of marinating ideas in everyday life matters as there are too many ingredients available not to take advantage of it. Looking at life from a different perceptive allows us to open our minds to the opportunities that surround us. I know not each situation is going to be ideal, but it is in the manner in which we marinate in life’s concoctions that makes the difference.

Through the years, I have mastered comparing life to creating a delicious home cooked meal. The reason for this is there were times I did not know how to handle a crisis or situation properly but food brought me back to the basics. To tantalize you, I ask you, “Have you ever wondered why a steak tastes better when you take the time to marinate it?” or more to the point, “Have you ever noticed the considerable transformation when you add a touch of creativity, a splash of inspiration, a pinch of excitement and slivers of new flavors when you marinate the steak?” If you haven’t done any of this before, you are missing out on one heck of a steak. The reason for this delightful essence of flavors is because when you combine them, it brings out an aroma that will guarantee to melt your heart and make your mouth water.

In my years of attempting to create a meal, I experienced many failures that I do not wish to recount. Yes, things did go wrong when I added too much of one ingredient and not enough of another causing it not to taste the way it should. Some of the fiascoes I struggled with didn’t look like the fabulous pictures I saved on my Pinterest board. A few dishes were so overcooked it led to a burning inferno. In each case though, I had options to consider if I planned on feeding myself or anyone for that matter. My choices were to suffer the consequence by eating it, throwing the mess away, going through a drive-thru or going to the supermarket to start all over again.

Life lessons need to be marinated because…

When life throws you off in any aspect of life you have to consider what ingredients or tools you need. You need to consider how you are going to fix or adjust it as ignoring it is not an option. Do you want to savor every bite or do you want it to leave a sour taste in your mouth? When I am faced with a situation or crisis I tend to say “Let me marinate in this”. My friends and family often laugh at me when I explain that I have to find just the right ingredients (the right solution) to create the perfect recipe (to solve the problem), without burning the dish (without getting anyone hurt).

The tendency is to act quickly because we have no time to be in the moment. We don’t take the time to see the situation clearly. We could ask ourselves, “Is there really a situation in the making or am I creating a mountain out of a molehill?” The outcome to this question can be just like cooking a meal. When you rush to prepare a dish and it turns out badly, you don’t enjoy it or you throw away. At this point, we have to realize that we need to put the brakes on and cook with care. We need to understand making rash decisions can affect the rest of our lives.

Unless we are struck with a major disaster at which point we have no time to think about our next step, life doesn’t always have to reflect a horrifying devastation. – R. Ficco

In fact, we can make the time to slow down as time is all we have until it is taken away from us. Without sounding negative, this enables us to appreciate “smelling the roses” as we travel the path of our journey. It is at this point we can absorb how good the dish smells and tastes by simply enjoying the creation of life. Solving a problem or circumstances doesn’t have to lead to stress or negativity in any form. It can be handled with care, love and attention. These simple ingredients will enable us to enjoy the moments in our lives when things don’t turn out as planned. It’s how we react to the turn that can have an impact on the outcome.

Not every problem can be solved with one answer. To illustrate, I was once told that there are over 200 ways to stack a dishwasher. Do you know what this tell me? It is obvious there is more than one way to season a roast or a steak. No, seriously, the options are endless if you just marinated in it for a moment or more. There is a significant difference between serving a scrumptious home cooked meal and a frozen meal in a microwave. The taste for one will be noticeably different. Knowing this affirms that there is more than one way to resolve any instance in life. You don’t have to take the path to anything that gets you scorched.

Years ago, I had the pleasure of running a family butcher shop. My fondest memory was learning the art of marinating meats and working with the people. The butcher used to show me his little tricks and he would always say “Life is full of flavors.” He would handle his meats like he would his customers – with an abundance of tenderness and care. Week after week, customers would come in to buy the freshest of meats in town. They would complement him on how fresh everything was displayed and quite a few of them used to confess because they had no clue how to cook. The butcher would go out of his way to offer suggestions and recipes and would be rewarded with praise when they came back to rave about it. We had a kitchen in the back and it was where you would find the butcher creating amazing feasts for the staff on a daily basis. His craftsmanship spoke volumes as he had the flare of an artist, almost Michelangelo-like. It was not out of the ordinary to indulge on Risotto alla Milanese or Osso Buco alla Romana. The aroma in the shop would bring people to their knees and they would usually ask if the item was for sale so they could take it home to their families. He never said no, as there was always enough to go around.

The butcher would make a point to build relationships with these customers because he knew it was important to treat everyone with respect and dignity. He made such a point of this that he would never let us forget where the ‘bread and butter’ came from. In his humble way, he touched many people by offering sound advice when needed. I have never met a man who expressed such compassion for good food and for enjoying every moment in life.

Since we are marinating in thought, here is another way of seeing the world in a different perspective. Go to an art museum or look at a picture on a wall with a group of people (3 or 4 at minimum). Now, together you will all stare at the piece of art. Look at it for a few minutes and then ask each person what they see. You will hear different answers and usually nobody points to the same thing. The answer might be they were looking only at the sky, the trees, or any other object in the picture. But it wasn’t the WHOLE picture that was being viewed. Life’s crisis can reflect this picture when we choose to look at the world “with a tunnel vision” versus “opening our minds” to the possibilities the universe has in store for us.

Seeing pictures that represent life has allowed me to enjoy the moments by appreciating every aspect of it. And the reason for this is because I see with humbleness, gratitude and appreciativeness as it permits me to be inspired and to motivate others to enjoy every bite. I insist on reminding myself of this each and every day even when I am down or don’t want to hear it. It’s because the butcher used to say “A way to anyone’s heart is by enjoying good food” and “Life is too short to make it miserable.” Two quotes I take with me as I travel through my journey. I know now that crappy things can happen in my life but it is how I marinate in it that makes the difference.

The “art of marinating in it” is enjoying the people that come into our lives. The length of time is irrelevant, it is the memories we create with each other that is most important. Whatever you are marinating in when it comes to the cycle of life, remember when the aroma is pleasant, your environment will smell like roses. Life is not meant to be complicated, miserable or unsatisfying. It is meant to enjoy with every mouthful.

Now I ask you to marinate in that for as long as you can…..and don’t forget to leave a comment.