STEWED - by Oluwakemi Lijofi

There is this anticipatory feeling that comes when you're about to prepare a pot of stew or maybe just a sauceYou try to imagine what it's going to smell and taste like You can't wait to see the colour it's going to produce And then it gets dawn on you that it all requires a process 😂😏Where you start by washing your pepper, tomatoes and onions You blend everything, chop whatever needs to be chopped Season your meat or whatever protein you're working with You put your pot on the fire *Then the real work begins* You saute your onions and maybe along with your garlic or any other aromatic depending on what you prefer after which you go in with your blended tomatoes. You stir, add seasonings of your choice, taste it, add more seasoning if necessary. You leave it there for sometime and let the heat do its thing You can't rush the process if you want to get a meaningful result. You can't add everything at once and even if you do there is always going to be a significant difference. Even when you make a mistake, you can't just decide to throw the whole pot away. You adjust it. *Isn't life just like making stew?* Every ingredient has a duty and also the time when it performs. You can't throw everything in at once. The same applies to life, some things have to happen before others can make sense. At a point when something happens, you get confused and don't understand why it happened but then it begins to all make sense after something else happens There are times life prepares us for something better by putting us through uncomfortable situations. Even the tomatoes need heat before becoming that rich stew base. These situations shape us into becoming someone fit for what is ahead. Proper measurement of every ingredient used in preparing a pot of stew is required. Too much of an ingredient whether salt, pepper or even oil can change the whole thing so creating a balance is necessary. Similarly, creating a balance is important in life. Good things such as friendship, work, emotions, ambition and even rest Just as checking the taste of your stew is necessary, there are times in life where you need to check in with yourself. You have to pause and ask yourself certain questions, "is this thing working for me?", "am I still the same person I was last year?" and so on. Life requires you checking in with yourself instead of just moving on autopilot. There are some mistakes you discover while making stew that could be corrected. You don't necessarily throw the whole post away after you discover you added too much salt or pepper. You adjust. A mistake doesn't automatically mean your life is ruined. You make corrections. If you want to make a good stew, you can't rush the process. Some things need time to simmer. Also growth, healing, success and even becoming who you want to be may take longer than you expected. Not getting the results you want immediately doesn't mean you have to give up You may not know how strong the ingredients you are working with are until they meet the heat. The heat reveals the true nature of the ingredients. There are times in life when difficult seasons reveal the kind of strength you never knew you had and then you work out of a situation stronger than you had ever been. Your stew doesn't have to taste like someone else's. Everyone works with different recipes. You could even work with the same recipe as someone else and still get a different result. Your life doesn't have to follow the same recipe as others or even produce the same result as others. Create your own path and do what works best for you People may taste the already prepared stew, love it and even call you a good cook without knowing how much chopping, stirring, seasoning and waiting went into it. In life as well, everyone may see your success without necessarily knowing how much effort you made to achieve that. *Yes, life is just like making stew.* *You don't know how it's going to taste while you're still cooking but you know you want a good taste. Also in life, the good result you're hoping to have doesn't just appear in the beginning. You have to follow a process. You don't have to rush it, you just need to be patient enough and trust the process is taking you somewhere*

Other insights from Oluwakemi Lijofi

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons