Lessons from a Food Processor

 

I started out with good intentions. I wanted to make a chocolate-banana smoothie for the family for breakfast. My first obstacle came in the form of a dirty blender. This wouldn’t have been a problem except that I was in a hurry.

I quickly made a Plan B: I pulled out the food processor, wondering why I don’t use it more often. After locking in all the parts, I poured in the chocolate shake and added banana chunks. When I turned on the machine, nothing happened. I checked the outlet in the wall, the locking mechanism, everything I could think of, and still no movement at all. As I lifted the container off of the processor, I discovered a chocolate puddle. More investigation revealed a line on the side of the food container that says, “Maximum liquid line”. Oops! I had added more liquid than the container would hold, so it leaked down through the mechanisms that turn the motor.

This was about the moment my husband walked into the kitchen. He laughed. I told him what I thought about his laughter.

So I washed the blender and made a smoothie. Then I washed the food processor, the counter, and laid the machine on its side so the chocolate ooze could drain back out of the motor. The smoothie tasted great, and the food processor eventually recovered–it still works!

Here’s what I learned from my food processor mess:

1. Messes happen. They are a part of life. I should expect messes and spend less energy trying to ignore them.

2.Sometimes shortcuts aren’t really shortcuts. The things I do to save time often stem from impatience, not ingenuity.

3. Good intentions don’t ensure success. But it’s still good to have good intentions!

4. Sometimes people laugh at my mistakes. What matters is how I respond to my own mistakes.

5. It takes time to clean up messes. That’s OK. It’s worth the effort.

6. Good things can come out of my messes.

7. There is more than one way to reach a goal, so keep trying and don’t give up.