Chocolate Chips, Divided

When I was a cute little Beehive (the ripe age of 12) I really got into baking. It was always encouraged because, as it were, I was pretty darn good at it. Anyway, one of my favorite recipes was Peanut Butter Bars - they are delicious. After the peanut butter, the next most important ingredient is chocolate chips, and the directions read: two cups chocolate chips, divided in half. So, being the eager baker I was, I followed these instructions precisely until one day my mom came into the kitchen and I exasperatedly proclaimed, “You know I love these peanut butter bars but they are sure a lot of work!” Why? She asks. “Well,” I explain, “I have to cut all these chocolate chips in half and it takes forever – I don’t know why but that’s what the recipe says.” She immediately bursts into tear jerking laughter as I looked up at her from my chocolate covered cutting board with the confused “redhead caught in the headlights” expression on my face. What? What’s so funny? She lovingly comes over, puts her arm around my shoulder and says, “Sweetie that means you divide the entire portion, one cup here and one cup there, you don’t actually have to divide the individual chips”. Oh.

I’ve made peanut butter bars a hundred times since (minus the extra work) but every time I pull out a bag of chocolate chips I chuckle to myself in memory of those more innocent days when I followed the instructions word for word but missed the point entirely. Today I find myself with somewhat the opposite inclination but typically the same outcome. I’ve gotten lazy, just skimming over things or only half listening. I haphazardly read for context not content and I often hear only flash* words to maintain focus or the appearance of comprehension but too often I walk away realizing I did not retain any of it. Sometimes it’s not completely my fault but more often than not it is my own impatience that leads me down the path of complete blanks or inaccurate assumptions.

I think I’ve always been prone to taking the short cuts in life but ironically this has too frequently led down the much longer ‘scenic route’. I find myself standing in the middle of nowhere wondering exactly how I ended up there. Never good. So today, I will take a reminder from my little chocolate friends to slow down, be more patient and thorough at the beginning so I don’t bypass the whole point and end up hitchhiking the long road back.

Always keep in mind; you don’t have to cut all the chips in half individually, well, unless you just really need to chop something.

*flash words are words I find of interest...they change daily at whim.