Lessons from Banana Bread and a Word on Newness.

Two weeks ago I baked the most delicious banana bread that I have ever baked before. It was fluffy, decadent, it had the right amount of sweetness to it, and it was absolutely beautiful and this is what it looked like:

Source: Facebook

Just kidding... But seriously, I did make this banana bread and tried out some new ingredients I hadn't used in baking before, like almond flour and agave for sweetness. I didn't use the almond extract that the recipe called for and it still tasted amazing. Here is a link to the recipe that I used and here is a picture of how it actually looked like.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/228684/paleo-banana-bread/

In our quest to try something new, it can sometimes turn out beautifully, as it did for me with this banana bread recipe (though admittedly, it wasn't hard to mess up). Other times, our efforts might resemble the first picture... a complete mess. The important takeaway is that we would never know what the outcome would be if we never tried.

Not long ago I moved to a new place that I didn't have much knowledge on and I knew absolutely NO ONE. I was new. Everything was new. I praise God I wasn't afraid but perhaps I was fueled with excitement and curiosity and a touch of naivety that there was completely no room for fear. With this newness, however, came discomfort, the awkwardness of being the only one in the room that no one knew and the discomfort that came with the attempts to embed myself in an already established community. On the other hand this newness opened me up to a window of opportunity. The opportunity to get to meet new people, go to new places and try new things even if it meant doing them alone. Gone were the days when I would be afraid to go places because I would be just by myself.

Community is important, its essential, it is beautiful. But there is something beautiful about being able to enjoy your own company.. we must be careful though because sometimes being alone can lead to idleness and lead you to fall into sin because you were bored and you claim that you "had nothing else to do". Over the past few years I have enjoyed doing things on my own, going to concerts on my own and singing my heart out, going to restaurants by myself and reading a book or just sitting and thinking and so many other things. I have discovered new places, I have had wonderful encounters with amazing people and I have been catapulted out of my comfort zone. I want to encourage you to embrace newness. Sure, it might be uncomfortable and nerve-wracking, but you will never know what lies beyond that discomfort if you never try.

I saw this quote on Substack and I thought it was very fitting:

"I'm 37. Instead of regretting that I cant wake up 18 again, I pretend to myself that I am 90 and I've woken up age 37 again, and that I get to magically, wonderfully have the next 50 years again" - bluewmist

I hope this added a little sunshine to your day....

With lots of love.

Kami