I spent a long time agonizing over my one thing, only to discover I've always known what it is. Actually what they are. Second is writing. Before my speech pathologist introduced me to the poetry of Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, and Gwendolyn Brooks, I had another love, realizing it was such, when I was 6. My grandfather loved to cook. Even after he retired, he cooked at a homeless shelter every day, for free, up until the day he died.. Cooking, to him was as normal as sleeping or breathing. He even passed away while cooking, doing something that brought him happiness.
Growing up, my mother and her sisters never learned to cook, and my earliest memory is of me sitting on a barstool in the kitchen, watching my grandfather cleaning a bucket of chittlin's and frying catfish, and watching his girlfriend bake cakes and pies. My first love was/is cooking. When I was 12, he decided I had the knowledge and skills to make the entire Thanksgiving dinner while he sat on a chair and coached me. It was an intimidating experience, but I pulled it off. He did help me, only minimally. I made turkey and dressing, chittlin's, potato salad, fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, corn bread, spaghetti, coleslaw, a coconut cake and a couple sweet potato pies- our usual Holiday meal. And I remember watching my mom and sister and uncles and aunts and cousins devour the food. I experience that feeling everytime I cook or bake something for dates, friends or family.
How about you? What is your one thing? Are you doing it and if not, why not?
6 comments:
I do not have a thing, I find myself changing my thing all the time. I thought before children my thing was Debbie. Before Debbie I thought my thing was my family. Now I guess my thing is my children. Really what I am saying, after reading this over again, is I think my thing is Family. I love my family, everyone in it. Without all of them I am not complete. Lack of worth or motivation I would have. I am still trying to ease the pain and grief from losing my father. In losing him I lost a piece of my family. So in the End, sappy as it sounds, my thing is my Family.
I tend to agree with Kaonohiawhatever. Life for me is a constant change, a constant improvement, a constant adaptation. Family, being my mom, dad and sister obviously was my big thing, then Tura came, marriage came, then our son came. I remember that I used to put my mother, father and my sister on top of my list, but now it's Nathan and Tura... then golf! LOL! (J/K) Without my family, I am nothing. Without my family, golfing wouldn't be fun, food wouldn't taste good, life wouldn't be beautiful. My family defines who I am, who I want to be. My family makes me a better person.
Lol @ Kaonohiawhatever! I like your comment. Yes, family is everything
Daji,
The beautiful thing is you have cooking that brings your family together. I wish I have that one thing that can bring family together. I'm still searching...
@ Sweet Baby J- what is that one thing (or things) that you enjoy doing so much that you would do it for free? That might be the one thing ( or things). For example, I'm trying to get poems published, but even if no one saw my poems ever, I would still write until the day I die. The same with cooking. I love cooking so much that I'd do it for free.
I don't know if I have "one" thing. I enjoy so many things.
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