I just wrapped up my work day in time to notice the beauty of the final minutes of the sun setting on day 4 of weather trifectas. It felt good to be back to the routine of a normal workday. I feel that most were in good spirits through out the day.
The boys are behind me in the kitchen cooking dinner together. I enjoy the dialogue. They are making not one, but two dishes never before made in the Storey home. They are discussing how best to go about it. I like how they build off one another’s ideas.
The first of the two dishes is chic-fila style spicy chicken sandwiches. They are putting their own twist on it by making sliders instead of full-sized sandwiches. This stems from the fact that the Chic-fila style spicy chicken sandwiches were originally supposed to be mini cheeseburgers, but we realized at lunch that we would be having beef for both meals. I suggested mini chicken sliders, and Brainy Bird spun that into using a Chic-fila copycat recipe. In case you are the last person on Earth to learn this, the secret to the Chic-fila sandwich is brining the chicken in pickle juice before cooking. Brainy Bird was second to last to know.
The second dish is oven fried steak fries. This was originally supposed to be scalloped potatoes, but all agreed that fries would go better with the chicken sandwiches. Little Chirp had the idea to use the apple slicer to cut the fries. This worked really well. Now, they are overcoming the fact that they have enough fries to feed our entire street, and the fries do not all fit in the pan.
I love their conversation. Little Chirp is concerned that Brainy Bird has put too much flour in the bowl for the breading of the chicken. Their side bar conversation is poison insects and plants that cause instant paralysis. No idea how these side bar conversations get started. Brainy Bird just asked if Little Chirp wants cheese on the sandwich. Little Chirp is dismissive of this idea.
Brainy Bird made my heart smile by noting that if these recipes turn out, he could easily substitute almond flour next time and make it all gluten free. His best friend has an allergy to gluten and misses having Chic-fila. I like that he delights at the idea of making someone else happy with his cooking. How ironic would life be if Brainy Bird wound up a chef instead of a computer programmer?
Brainy Bird is now breading the chicken and Little Chirp is providing him with a play by play on how to do it. I am not sure if he really believes Brainy Bird needs such detailed oversite or if he is trying to be funny. He is definitely cracking me up.
The nightly news on in the living room is all doom and gloom. There is a major ordeal with Trump appearing to try to influence the election results in Georgia. Our entire nation awaits the senate election results in Georgia. I am scared of what is going to happen to my life savings if the Democrats take control of the senate. There is a new strain of the virus that is even more contagious than the first. The strain was first discovered in the UK, and today the UK went back into a full lockdown. The year has all of the makings of being a repeat of 2020.
I cannot control the chaos in the world. I certainly pray for our country and those in much less fortunate situations, but living in a state of fear and anxiety accomplishes nothing. I am focused on what I can control, and the blessings in my life. I find a great deal of happiness in each day by looking at what surrounds me rather than what I hear on the news.
I am not sure what was on my mind on this day last year, but I know that it was not a deep appreciate of all that I have. I love having this time with my boys and the fur kids in our little house. I love my sister’s daily updates on my adorable nephew. When I do get to see friends, I greatly appreciate the time that I have with them. I continue to love my job.
Unfortunately, I do think that 2021 will be very much the same as 2020, but this time I am entering into the year with perspective.
It is the little things in life.