It’s Thanksgiving Day here in Houston, and the weather has finally started to chill a bit.  At least it feels like fall instead of a warm summer day now.  My husband, Todd, has been planning the main course for weeks – smoked turkey.  It’s the first time he’s cooked the bird in this manner, so of course, his hope is that everything he’s planned goes on without a hitch.

I think it will, for the most part, but he’s already come across a few hitches – you know, those unexpected gremlins that like to stir the pot and cause chaos.  For one thing, the pan he chose to smoke the bird in didn’t fit in his stand-up smoker.  This could have been a deal breaker, but Todd is clever, so he decides he’s going to just put it directly on the rack.

He then realizes he didn’t rub the bird down with oil before he applied his spices, and threw it onto the slow heat of the smoker.  Apparently, this could cause the bird to be dry (I had no idea this was so complex as I am a baker, not a cook).  Again, not a shred of panic begins to unfurl Todd’s cooking plans.  He adjusts his methods, and decides that he will spray the turkey with a mixture that compliments his spices so that it penetrates the skin and moisturizes the meat.  That brings us up to the present moment, and all is well so far.  I’m sure there will be a few more things that pop up, but Todd will handle it.

Watching him recover from these setbacks (however minor or major they are) demonstrates how we should handle those unexpected events that cause various levels of chaos, interrupting even the best laid plans.  Gremlins are simply a part of life.  It’s what you do with them or how you react to them that counts the most.  I know that I’ve had my fair share of gremlin-like activity.  Each time, I’ve worked through it and found a creative solution.  Those creative solutions are what enriches our lives and experiences.

Don’t avoid the unexpected.  Embrace it and let it enrich your life, and the lives of those around you.