Life is Like a Box of Funfetti

I thought the baking instructions listed above were the only option to create a proper life. Pillsbury told me that all I have to do is prep, blend, and bake. Simple right? I thought this until I tried to follow the step where I “slowly integrate corporate jobs.” To put it in this context-my batter was sticking to the bowl, and it would not mix. I was graduating university, trying to land a corporate job and felt like something was missing. A secret ingredient perhaps?

I grew up with a wonderful prepared life. I was very fortunate and am grateful that my 2 parents prepped me well. I was on track to make a good cake. I was following the instructions of a recipe repeated thousands of times before, one easily replicated. The final product: a Funfetti cake- a white cake that is super fluffy, jovial on the outside, but not very rich with flavor. Let me be clear, I love Funfetti. It’s my go to guilty-pleasure and it’s pretty damn good.

However, what if I don’t want a “good” cake, I want an unbelievably amazing cake. What if I could choose what ingredients I want to blend and bake. After realizing I didn’t have to follow a set of instructions, I started thinking about what kind of cake I personally want.

I don’t want just a sprinkle of passion and a handful of corporate jobs. I want 7 heaps of adventure, 20 hobbies, 18 different jobs, 20 apartments around the world (not all at once), and limitless passion. I want weird flavor combinations like peanut butter & bacon or raspberries & pretzels. In search of my own wacky life concoction, I have abandoned the expectations of taking a job in single location. In my current batch, I have mixed 14.7 Mbps of good wifi with 3 meals a day of heavenly Thai food as I adventure through Southeast Asia.

I have vowed to create my own cake from scratch. I deeply respect everyone who decides to make a Funfetti cake. I am realizing it’s okay to make my own cake too and desire that same acceptance. However, to make this kind of cake is not easy.

When I break egg shells into the batter and make giant messes out of food coloring, I try again and iterate. I learn from each bad batch so I can experiment with what works and doesn’t. I meet people who don’t mix well with my personality and I have batches where I am unhappy. Learning what doesn’t taste good together is just as important as learning what does.

I am not in a hurry to make the perfect cake. Rather, each day is a chance for me to set my intentions and better my recipe. Right now, my mission is to test my tastebuds by trying flavors around the world as I travel, work and create meaningful friendships. My tastes and preferences will change and develop over the years as I try new formulas. I realize there is no secret ingredient to making the perfect cake, but my personal goal is to fully enjoy the adventures of creating a homemade cake and one-of-a-kind recipe.