Do you ever have a day or a week, maybe longer, when things are coming at you from so many directions, all at once, and you aren’t sure if you can manage it all? Which “challenge” should you try to solve first? Is it even solvable? Maybe. Maybe not. Even with the confidence that comes from knowing that I cannot control some outcomes, I can only try my best, and I am a person of integrity and reliability, there are times I do not feel up to the task at hand.

For me, feeling that I have let someone down is the most difficult situation I struggle with. Disappointing someone is tangible. You can see it their body language, hear it in their words and voice, or, even worse, experience it in their silence. When I am asked by someone close to me (relative, friend or neighbor) to help them or do something that I’m not sure I can do, I feel a mix of anxiety, self-doubt and dread. Probably everyone feels this way. In these times, I question myself, is the universe strategically placing this in my life because there is nugget (or two) I need to learn? Is it truly more than I can do and therefore “no” is the right answer. Or is it simply that I need to stretch myself further than I typically would. The sooner I realize this, roll-up my sleeves and dive in, the better? If I say no to the request, am I a quitter? A quitter, no way! I know the universe is smarter than me, this has been proven many times.

A dear friend tells me, one can’t be all things to all people, and I know this is true. It is always a relief to hear it. Another friend tells me, one can do anything but one can’t do everything. Wise words do help. But even still, there are cracks in my armor when these wise words and my confident thoughts are not getting through. That’s where chocolate comes in. Need I say more?

Dark Chocolate Chip + Black Cherry Muffins

• Follow the steps of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Use THE BEST quality chocolate chips that you can find. Add 1 or 1.5 cups of pitted black cherries (either fresh if you are lucky to live in the part of the country where these are grown and if not, then canned but not sweetened (yep, canned fruit can be the perfect ingredient)) to the cookie dough. You can use other types of cherries but I prefer black cherries. No matter what type of cherries you use, be sure to remove all pits. If you use other types of cherries, you will need to adjust the sugar accordingly. Use a cupcake tin instead of a cookie sheet to make the muffins. Try not to eat more than 3 muffins in one sitting. Enjoy, and now you can get to work on figuring out what the universe is telling you.

Pixie Miller, June 2019