The other day I made pancakes for breakfast for my boys.
It's hit or miss with me and pancakes, I'll admit that.
They are usually misshapen, more oval than round, one side brown and the other side just a little bit dark.
My boys tease me mercilessly about the one time that I forgot about the pancake in the pan because something distracted me.
I can still remember the smell of that burnt pancake, even though this had to have been 4 or 5 years ago now.
This morning was different though.
The first two pancakes I made were still more oval than round, but golden brown, like a pancake should be.
Every pancake I made was turning out well, although a bit misshapen.
By the time I got to the end of the batter and scooped that last pancake into the pan, I was feeling pretty darn proud of myself.
As I watched the pancake cook on the stovetop, I marveled at how round it was.
The best one yet!
I told my boys "look at this PERFECT pancake!"
I got the laugh and the eye roll that teenagers do so well.
This accomplishment was clearly lost on them.
To them it's just pancakes, but it's truly the little things that make for a good day.
A "perfect" pancake, round and golden brown
An uneventful, sunny drive into work
A breakthrough on a project that had hit a wall
A neighbor who waves at you when you pull in the driveway
A great conversation with the kids after work
A friend to vent with and help you feel not quite so alone
In life, we make figurative pancakes all the time.
With every choice we make and the way we deal with challenges and obstacles, we are scooping batter into the pan and hoping for the best.
I look at it this way - you can either learn from your imperfect pancakes or give up and stop making pancakes altogether.
Maybe switch to scrambled eggs because those are easier and they are supposed to be just a messy pile of misshapen food on your plate.
But what fun is that?
Our goal should be to make those pancakes as round and golden brown as we can.
It may take a lot of tries to get there.
We may make one great pancake and then the next ten pancakes suck.
Then there's another perfect pancake, then six more bad ones. And so life goes.
Every misshapen pancake is still edible and nourishes us, teaching us something about ourselves.
They illustrate that life doesn't have to be perfect to be good.
And I don't think we'd be nearly as grateful for the perfect pancakes if we never saw the misshapen ones.
So keep making those pancakes, people.
Scoop that batter into the pan and hope for the best.
Above all else, be grateful for the times when you see that perfect pancake taking shape.
And remember...
It's the little things that make a big life.
Very well said :-)