Friday, January 26

Soy Scum Meditations


I like hot soy milk. With cinnamon and nutmeg, please. I call it "Christmas in a Cup." Tonight I put the soy milk on the stove, and then forgot about it. I came back to soy scum. Lots of it. As I cleaned out the pan and made shriveled-faces at it, I laughed to myself, "There must be a deep spiritual metaphor here in this soy scum."

I'm not sure there is a deep metaphor. (If you find one, throw it at me.) But I am sure of this: I tend to put pans on the oven and then forget about them. I start things and then forget about them. I adore new projects. I go crazy with them. My creative juice gets splattered around everywhere. This is oftentimes my pattern:

1. Think of a wild new project to work on...start it with engines running...even if I stay up all night.
2. Forget to finish the project
or (worse)
2.5 I get bored with it.
3. So, hooray! I find a new project altogether!
4. Wash, Rinse, Repeat step #1.

I often have to guilt myself into finishing things, unless I have some hard-pressed deadline given to me from someone with quasi-authority.

Alas. I sip my seltzer water and wonder how to become a woman of more follow-through.

4 comments:

lisa said...

hey, could i qualify as someone with quasi-authority and tell you that you're gonna be in deep scum if you don't keep up with your Fuller assignments this time? it gives me an ulcer when you're pulling all nighters!

Anonymous said...

here is my metaphor:

so here we have something that has potential of being great: a pot of soy, slowly rising in temperature: mm.
we know it has full potential of being great but if we aren't stirring it up, it just sits.. it overheats to the point that no one can enjoy it. it turns into worthless scum and it's useless.
so it's sort of like movements that God gets us on, or gifts he gives us... "here, my child, I will give you this pot and this milk and what i want you to make is a tasty 'christmas in a cup'... stir it, watch it, and be aware of what is happening in that pot. if you get distracted, or too lazy to stir, you're going to miss what could be an incredible cup of soy and get left with scum."
(kind of like Jonah and his vine. if you don't tend it, God will take it away)
so... keep your eye on your pot of soy and don't give up your stirrin'!

Jenelle said...

I knew there was a metaphor like that hiding in there, and if anyone would find it, Elise would.
Stir it up, Stir it up. (I think Bob Marley says the same thing.) Good stuff. Thank you.

Jenelle said...

Lisa, you have more than quasi-authority in my life. Thanks for the kick in the booty.