Banana Bread and Revelations

In Altus, one has a lot of time on one's hands to dedicate to thinking. My friend, Sarah, and I have started calling the "epiphanies" one my have during these thinking periods, "revelations." We tell ourselves to be mindful of (and in) these moments and that we should record and document these fleeting thoughts. After all, not everyone has this kind of reflective time available to them. Be appreciative. Right?

banana bread batter

Well, this afternoon I baked banana bread (actually it looks more like cake because I don't have a bread pan). Sometime during the gentle folding of walnuts into the banana mixture, it dawned on me that this time last year, I was walking out after a day of work in a world-renowned pediatric hospital. I had spent the day working with (and learning from) a team of some of the smartest and most dedicated people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I had enjoyed, been saddened by, and been inspired by my time spent with patients and their families. All in a day's work.

Things have changed. Just a bit.

Today I made banana bread. It smells good and likely tastes delicious. I'm not sure that this treat will have the impact on the world that my time in the hospital had, but I enjoyed it. It is even likely that several of the people in Eric's office will enjoy it tomorrow as well. Is the activity of baking bread any less significant or meaningful than putting in a full day's work at a dynamic workplace? Probably. But who is to say that it should be any less valued? I added a skill to my toolbox, I made a few people's tummies pretty happy (mine included), and I didn't waste the bananas that had become overripe. That aint' nothin'!

Who knows how the rest of my days in this new home of mine will be spent. I surely don't. But the lesson is that it doesn't matter that I don't know the answer to this question today. The answer will unfold itself with each passing day. And at least I have another day of happiness and health to be thankful for.