Traditions

Not all traditions should be honored. Some long held beliefs and customs serve only a select group. And some spread a feeling of hope and goodwill for all people. Hold onto the latter ones.

Traditions are hard to break. We are all taught from birth to respect the way of life of our families and communities. These relationships, and the habits they create, form the framework of our lives. The threat of being ostracized is ever-present. Our places seem to be predetermined.

I went to college because everyone in my immediate family was either in college or had graduated with a degree or two. I was and still am the youngest. I could have benefited from waiting until I had a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life. I don’t remember feeling like I had an option. In any case, I attended and graduated without any honors. I felt lucky to have a diploma after four years. I think I was an embarrassment to my father.

The good news is my life has progressed down the road of life, and now a little more than forty years later, I can say I have learned many things in my life, and most of these things have been taught out of school.

I always marvel at people who say that if they had to live their life over again, they would not change a thing. I can’t help but think that they are either lying, delusional, or possibly they have led an exceptionally rare life. I think most people would change something along the way. Though, this might require hindsight or foresight, depending on where you are standing.

But then again, remembering the ripple effect of any change, I might hesitate. The whole trajectory could be vastly different than it is now. There is no guarantee that some wiser choices would have landed me in a better place.

So, here I am on the eve of Christmas Eve, planning and executing the special meals I will be cooking over the next several days. I cooked a seafood stew the day after Thanksgiving. It was such a success with my husband and daughter, I will be cooking it again tomorrow, and I also hope to make a peppermint cheesecake. The recipe does not use cream cheese; instead, it uses a light Ricotta cheese. I will post a picture if I am successful.

P.S. The above picture was posted the day after writing this.