Day 7 - 152 -- Hopes and Dreams

Mercifully, today was cooler and drier inside and out, which led to some better sleep and more activity to get through some tasks. I  finished laundry and other small household chores. then I began annual income tax calculations only to discover that the filing deadline seems to be tomorrow and the payment date is September. There is a refund, so I'll be OK if filing a few days late -- something I have never done <sigh>.

In the late afternoon, I cooked one of the dinners from the meal box delivered this week. I had hoped to get to these earlier but the heat meant no oven or stove top usage. This one was a red lentil and sweet potato curry with rice. While ginger had been added to the rice, it was rather bland. The curry was tasty, but I did add some chipotle powder to my bowl for a hint of heat only. <smile> It took me 55 minutes rather than the 35 they noted in the recipe. I am an experienced cook, so this disturbed me a bit. I had read their recipe several times to organize how they suggested coordinating three things with overlapping cooking times. Even with that, it took far longer. The biggest culprit was cooking the lentils in the coconut milk and seasonings. There was not enough liquid for these to cook quickly. I added about a cup of liquid to the pan a bit at a time for lentils to absorb. The coconut milk was more solid like a cream. Perhaps adding fluid nearer the beginning of that cooking time would have moved things along. The only thing I did not use was their sweet potato cubes, which felt slippery to the touch. It didn't feel 'right' so I used my own sweet potato. I did not add this time to the preparation time. I plan to recommend to the company that they include a whole sweet potato to avoid this unusual consistency. The whole thing tasted great, though. It is an interesting recipe that I could easily make again on my own. Something new and yummy to add to the repertoire. <smile>

What did this all bring to mind today? The need to manage expectations. Dreams and goals are big and important to have. Managing what might be rather than throwing it all in the basket of expectations can bring disappointment. Smaller expectations, like believing marketing hype about a product, can disappoint when the item in questions just doesn't measure up. Expecting others to understand the expectations of any individual without these being communicated leads to bigger disappointments that can sit and fester or lead to angry outbursts. So, I need to temper the excitement some days -- like today with the recipe ingredients not measuring up to my expectations or standards. <smile>

Lyrics from the selection for the day, describe the desire to try to reach a goal -- just to have the chance to do so -- while recognizing that things may not work out as dreamed, but at least we try. Being prepared for any outcome, seems a sensible way to manage expectations. Stay safe. Enjoy!

Don't Rain on My Parade --Lea Michele (Glee cast)