Authenticity & Abundance

I catered two events on Saturday, stayed up with Puddin' Pie and watched Steel Magnolias for the umpteenth time with a box of tissues by my side, then awoke early to go get my kabobs and cookies plated to deliver to a client for his open house in Wright City. Although, when I look in the mirror, I see a weary face staring back at me...I definitely see a happier soul with a renewed light shining out from behind those tired eyes.

People often ask me about the amount of work it takes to do catering. "Isn't it a lot of work for very little monetary pay off?" That's just one of the questions I get on a regular basis. The other is, "Aren't you exhausted after all the preparation and service?"

The truth is, "Yes, I'm physically tired. But, no, I'm not exhausted. And actually, the payoff is that I'm doing something I truly love, which energizes me and enables me to make ends meet while enjoying more personal time."

I guess you could say I'm experiencing my own "simple abundance."  Whether I'm doing a children's cooking class where we are painting the most beautiful, colorful cookies you've EVER seen. Or, my team and I are puttin' on the dog for a fundraiser, open house or in-home party, it's all good to me! I'm surrounded by the buzz of happiness because I'm actually doing something that makes people feel good and that makes me feel good...and fulfilled!

Although I've worked in the food/restaurant industry off and on all my life, I remember my first inkling that catering was my calling. It was a Sunday in December of 2008, after my first combined family Christmas dinner in Mark's and my home in Lake Ozark. I was cleaning up the cookie painting table, clearing closet space for all my serving ware and thinking about how much I enjoyed having everyone over, and that it might be fun to put on parties and dinners for other people, too. 

Once everything was clean and stacked in my closet in my basement office, I made my true affirmation out loud for the universe to hear, "By this time next year, I'm going to be doing some catering." 

And so it would be!

So here's why I am telling you all of this.  No matter what you want to do, go for it. Even if it isn't what your family, your friends or your immediate self thinks you "can" or "should" do, it's up to you to take hold of this life and live it to the fullest. Out of all the jobs I have had, food service was, by far, my very favorite! I love to cook, plate and serve food to people and make people feel warm and comfortable. The trick is to parlay your gifts into the ability to sustain yourself. It takes some soul searching, but YOU can do it!

If I can do it, YOU CAN, TOO! You deserve to feel good about yourself, your life and your future. You deserve to be happy, contented and validated -- not necessarily by others, but by your true, authentic self. Authenticity can lead to great abundance in life. Whatever you do, do it for you!