Week 102: Big Plans
Every once in a while, it’s okay to go all out…
Each Sunday, my wife and I cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
You may have noticed that we like to talk about simple moments a lot on this blog. That’s because simple moments make up most of life. Sure you have your big moments sprinkled in there, but those are few and far between. You need to savor them, because they don’t come often.
But simple moments happen all the time, so we have the tendancy to overlook them. But I’d argue that they deserve to be savored just as much as the big moments. I’ve learned so much from finding joy in the everyday moments I get to share With my wife.
And so, we share a lot of stories about everyday cooking and the highs and lows of married life in Indiana. Sometimes, though, it’s worth taking a little extra time to plan. To make a big deal of it. Add some production value. You can’t do this every week, but the people who mean the most to you are worth putting in a little extra effort. This week, Sarah and I did just that — we made Salmon in Lemon Cream Sauce with a side of Asparagus.
The Filet Cut
My mouth was literally watering as I stood in line. There before me was a smorgasbord of seafood — my favorite type of food. Sarah had asked me to get salmon, so my eyes first went for the regular filets. But then I noticed a different cut — the salmon mignon.
I was hooked. I got four pieces of salmon and could barely make it home fast enough. Salmon is literally my favorite food! And Sarah found a fantastic recipe for us to try, so I was chomping at the bit.
We had gotten in a bit of a rut of waiting until Sunday to pick out our recipe. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I like being able to go with the flow. But this week, we wanted to plan ahead and go all out. So Sarah had picked out the recipe on Saturday, and we planned out all the ingredients in advance.
We prepared the meal together as usual, and we ate together at our living room table as usual. But something felt different about having planned ahead. We recommitted to one another that this whole Cooking With Sarah thing is a big deal. Bumping up the production value a little bit was a reminder — a signpost of sorts — that when things get “normal” again, they aren’t any less special.
A Little Extra
It’s not the food that makes this tradition a big deal, it’s the person I share it with. But she is so important to me, that sometimes I want to go a little extra. And she feels the same way about me.
The key is to make sure you don’t let things get to the point where everything feels mundane and you’re not finding the joy in simple moments. Way before you ever get there, give yourself a little jolt. Cook a new dish, travel to a new place, see a new show — break up the routine just a little bit. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to feel a little bigger than usual. And always remember the focus — it’s not about the bigger production values, it’s about giving yourself a reminder why the person you’re with is worth that and more.
I love my wife. I love laying around watching movies on a Saturday afternoon just as much as I love driving to Chicago for a night on the town. My wife makes every part of my life better, and there’s no one I’d rather share it with. :)
