I love to bake and cook and be in the kitchen. One of the things I love about the kitchen is the wide array of amazing tools that we have at our disposal to make cooking and baking less time consuming, easier and convenient. I would say in our world today most of us love a great way to save time and preserve energy!
I love my Kitchen Aid mixer. It is pretty to look at on my counter, it is powerful, it has different attachments for dough, whipping and mixing. I can also use it to make ice cream with my special ice cream bowl attachment. In so many ways this one tool in my kitchen provides me with so much value.
I love my whipping cream maker (This is what we call it!) This is an awesome invention that allows me to turn cream into whipped cream in an instant with the power of a little CO2 cartridge. Just pour in the cream, charge the bottle with the cartridge, shake and voila… Instant delicious whipped cream on hot chocolate, on pie, or directly into my kids mouths! (They love this!)
I love my cast iron pans. They are heavy and durable. They are easy to clean and when seasoned just right cook things just the way we like. These are newer to my kitchen collection and I would definitely miss them if they were to disappear.
I love my instant pot. If you have not caught the instant pot fever….. WHY NOT! I don’t use it religiously but when I do I wonder why I don’t use it everyday. It makes delicious meals in practically minutes. It saves me when I forget to take something out of the freezer or it’s been a busy day and time is limited… (which seems like almost everyday!) It also doubles as a slow cooker which is another one of my favorite kitchen tools.
I love my onion goggles. Yes you heard me right… onion goggles. One year a friend bought these goggles for me for Christmas. It was kind of a joke gift. That year I had made all the stuffing for a large Christmas dinner hosted by my church. It was enough stuffing to feed 100 or more people at least. That was a lot of onions to chop and my tear ducts were working overtime. My friend had popped in for a visit mid onion chopping and got to witness the whole ordeal face to face! Needless to say when she came across onion goggles as she did her Christmas shopping she knew it would be the perfect gift! This gift has been well used by me over the years. Onion chopping has never been so fun. My family especially loves making fun of me when I wear them.. It’s a win win for everyone.
These are just a few of the many amazing kitchen tools that I love and use and that benefit my family. There are many more that I go through phases using that I love and then forget about for awhile. Maybe you can think of a few of your own tools that you would not want to live without in your kitchen. Maybe there are a few amazing tools in your kitchen that have some dust on them.
As I have thought about all of the many physical tools that I have access to that help me carry out specific functions in the kitchen I am reminded of all the many other kinds of tools that we as humans can access to create more meaningful, better lives. I want to outline a few that have come to my mind.
1) OUR VOICE: For the majority of us in this life we have been blessed with a voice. We can speak and communicate. We can share opinions and views. We can open minds. We can speak kinds words, teach and lift each other up. We can sing and read out loud. Our voice is something that is an amazing tool. Are we using this tool to the benefit of ourselves and others around us. Do we take this amazing tool for granted. Do we shy away from using it as much as we could due to fear? Do we worry to much about what others think when we do use our voice? Our voice can be an amazing tool in our lives and in the lives of others.
2) EACH OTHER: We’ve all probably heard the African proverb; “It takes a village to raise a child.” In so many ways we are all like little children; learning, evolving, growing, making mistakes, changing. Whoever you have to lean on in your circle, whether it be family, friends, colleagues, or even the grocery store bag boy. Lean on them, ask for help when you need it. Most often you will find that we all get immense purpose in helping others in times of need. We don’t have to do everything alone. It’s no mistake that we get to share this earth with so many other people. We need each other. Asking for help can be an amazing tool in our lives and in the lives of others.
3) OUR BRAINS: Our brains are amazing machines. They are working tirelessly to keep us safe. Our brains hold knowledge and memories. Our brains are what allow us to experience everything that is amazing and wonderful in life as well as everything that is not so amazing and wonderful about the human experience. A human brain is an extraordinary tool. This is a tool that we often automatically use daily with little to no effort, just like mixing cookie dough in my Kitchen Aid mixer. I’m pretty good at making cookies. It’s easy for me, and I can do it without much study or thinking. I wonder what I could accomplish with that same mixer if I learned more about each attachment, if I studied the manual, if I were to invest in more of the attachments available? Maybe I could make delicious cinnamon buns or create homemade pasta.
If we apply this metaphor to our brains, what might we be able to accomplish. What is possible for us? ANYTHING is possible for us in this life but, it will take a lot more effort than what is programmed, automatic and easy. Our brains can be amazing tools in our lives and in the lives of others.
If we don’t use some of the tools we have been given to help us in this life, will we have a ‘bad’ life? Maybe not. I’ll be honest, I was pretty content to fry an egg on my stainless steel frying pan before I discovered cast iron; But what are you missing out on in your life because you just aren’t aware of what your life could be or how you could make it better?
There is an abundance of tools out there, these are just a few. Here’s the last and most important thing that I want to tell you about tools – they can’t help us unless we dust them off and use them. Use your voice, ask for help, learn to manage your mind instead of your mind managing you. These tools are among some pretty great ones to have in your tool kit as you navigate through this thing we call life.
Thank you friend for the onion goggles, when I use them my view is a little bit clearer and my task so much easier, not to mention how amazing they make me look!
As we find, rely and manage some of these tools like our voice, each other or our brains, we will find more clarity, balance, and confidence. All of which look pretty good on anyone!
