Commandment #7: Apologizing for Errors!

Apologizing for a perceived error in your meal just draws attention to you and pulls away from the enjoyment of the meal.

I read this morning, in Beth Moore’s new book, this two-worded powerful sentence, “Anticipate it.”

This sentence can mean many different things to each of us. I took it to heart spiritually this morning as I was riding my wind-trainer in the garage. I did soul-work with this statement. But then I took it a step further into my passion and mission for this whole blog. But let me start with this …

To me, growing up has been a long, drawn out process of learning to let go. Letting go of the ploys, games, and manipulation – whatever it takes to look good in the eyes of others. What a wonderful thing to finally be able to laugh at my own mistakes or disasters!

Years ago, after I was married with 3 very small children, we had 2 other couples over for dinner. I was so excited to cook a dish that was one of my favorites called Curried Chicken. It was easy to prepare and an overall crowd pleaser.

In my rushing around to pull it all together, I neglected to pre-cook the chicken, as the recipe called for. I put all the ingredients together in the pan, stuck it in the oven, and arranged for it to come out just in time to serve it to our guests. When I went to serve the food, I thought to myself, “Wow! Look how pretty these plates look!” Well, the chicken was undercooked on every plate. I was horrified to see each person cut into his or her meat to see it PINK inside. Oops! I was embarrassed and I felt sick inside. I had to take each plate and individually microwave them.

Looking back, these people didn’t even seem to care! Here I was, all worried about what they thought of me, when in reality they were so enjoying the conversation & laughter around the table, the undercooked chicken wasn't even an issue.

Soon after, my husband taught me, “Sandy, never apologize for your meal!” (By the way, he heard someone say this and it just made sense. It pulls away from the potential enjoyment for the average person.) It took me a while to agree with him and to really catch on to what he was saying. But I soon did and I’ve learned to laugh and cover-up my cooking errors and not draw “attention” to myself. I take a new route if something is undercooked or overcooked, by checking it before I serve it! Obviously, I’d microwave it if it’s undercooked. And remember my prime rib story? I’d serve and enjoy the meat anyway, even when it’s overcooked. There’s always horseradish or sauces you can serve along the meat to spice it up!

(More tips to come on sharing "holiday" plates and decor with a friend, to keep costs down)

For me, on the receiving end, I take to heart the hard work that a hostess puts into her meal. I don’t expect perfection and I try to make light of a situation that may not be perfect. I find myself so engrossed with the conversation, that the details and even the taste of the food doesn't matter.

So … ANTICIPATE … expect great things, look forward to a great time with your friends. Relationships are far more important than emphasizing our disasters and drawing attention to ourselves.

This is my mission for this blog: to help others get beyond themselves and into the lives of others.