What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

If you had asked me six months ago where I saw myself by the end of 2020, I would not have said broke, unemployed and feeling adrift. Well, dear friends, here I am! Broke as hell, very much unemployed, and I have never felt so out of my element and adrift before in my life. Everything that I was so afraid would happen to me has, and for the first time in a long time I have no idea who the hell I am anymore. I, like many of my late 30-somethings who have had their entire lives flipped upside down, are embarking on a new life's adventure and I have to say- I hate it.

I am part of the generation that is stuck between two worlds- being raised by Baby-Boomers, and The Millennials who have come up behind us. If you were born in the early 80s like myself, there seems to be some sense of disconnect on what or who to actually call my generation. I just call us the "sure" generation. You think we should be call one thing? Sure! Shall we call them something else? Sure, what the hell! The bottom line is that this generation of identity-confused whatevers were raised with a hard work ethic, and a belief that if you work hard you'll be rewarded for said work. Boy were we wrong.

For years I have worked as a Student Life professional for private colleges both in New England and New York. I loved my job, and my students- to me they were my world. While there were many long hours in a week, the two things that helped me decompress were the fur babies I went home to, and the kitchen where I could create outside of the office. To be clear, I have never had any formal training in the culinary world. What started as dancing in the kitchen on Grand Street in Croton-on-Hudson, NY and cooking with my mom, turned into a need to feed myself after Grad School (what do you mean I can't just swipe my ID and get food anymore?). I'd look at a recipe and begin to doctor it to my taste. I was taught that if you knew the basics of cooking, you can cook just about anything! I began to post on my social media and my friends would comment, give suggestions, and I never even gave it a second thought. It wasn't until recently that a good friend planted the seed that maybe I should do a food blog. With the help of a quick survey of my social media family, the overwhelming support came flooding in, and the little voice inside my head said give it a shot (why the hell not?).

So here I am- sitting at my dying computer while my dogs sleep on the bed next to me as I begin to figure out how to make a blog. This is going to be a challenge, but I think one that will be fun. This is going to be the place for people to come and get some ideas, share some tips, recipes, etc. I welcome any and all ideas, suggestions, etc. Let's bring the joy of eating back into our lives, and not see it as a chore to make dinner. Let's get excited to try new things, share our favorite recipes, and above all else, share in the joy and laughter of each other's company. The world will find itself again eventually, but for now lets meet here virtually, and until we can all sit at the same table and eat here's to finding the spark in something tasty!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?