Fortune Cookie Friday: The Little Things in Life

The last time I made macaroni and cheese, I considered adding bacon. I believe everything tastes better with bacon. I searched through the refrigerator only to discover that I was out of my delectable pork product. I started down into the pot of creamy, yellow pasta shells and sighed.

Mac and cheese is a staple of many college students and moms of toddlers, a simple and convenient food to prepare. In fact, you only need to dirty one pot to make it, if you are using a box brand. Some would consider it humdrum, but if you take a little time and add any of a number of ingredients, your can have a grand meal.

The same applies to grilled cheese. Sorry, but I am on a food kick right now, because I’m peckish. Anyway, if you make a grilled cheese with simple American cheese slices, it will seem average. Well, unless someone else makes the grilled cheese for you, then it is always better than if you made it yourself, but I digress. Take that same sandwich and use some Gouda or ham and you have something extraordinary. If you add bacon and crisp apple slices, with a little Dijon mustard, then you are working your way to a masterpiece. Now, add that sprig of parsley on the side and voilà!

Now, consider other ordinary things you do during the day and how you can make them better. When you answer the telephone, try answering it with a smile. You can actually change the tone in your voice with a pleasant smile. When you are at work or school, take some time to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, or whatever will make your work stand out from the rest.

These small little details, these tiny little changes or additions, make the things you do into great things. The little things make the difference; they are the garnish of life.