The prep is key

It is still dark out. I set the alarm for 6:30 to get the big ol' turkey in the oven, but I was up way before that. That is just the way it is when my children gather and I have lots to do. It is the excitement of it all that stirs my brain to rise and go. The work shouldn't be too bad today because I did so much to get ready yesterday. The good china has been cleaned and inspected, the vegetables have been washed, the centerpiece in on the table, and so on. Now it is just assembling, letting the oven do its thing, and serving. (Oh yes...and then that darned cleaning up.) Preparation. It is the the most essential thing we do, and it affects every aspect of our lives. Today it is only Thanksgiving dinner but tomorrow, who knows what it may be, and how I deal with it depends on how I have prepared myself. Like the commercial says, life comes at you fast, and we need to be prepared! Education may be the most obvious preparation. It leads to a career that funds our living. But everyday we, through our thoughts and experiences, are preparing for the future, for what the next day brings, whether we are aware of it or not. If do not take care of our bodies, we will not have the stamina when we need it. If we plan to tend our relationships and then fail to do so, they will dissolve. If we don't put into our minds the tools for making wise decisions, we fall. Preparation, usually unwitting, is behind every automatic response. It is what structures our lives. This Thanksgiving dinner has been prepared for long before this week. Into it went reading cookbooks and following recipes, learning from others, trial and error, and making messes. It doesn't just happen!