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Why Not?

"What would you do if you could choose anything?"

I looked down at my hands. "I'd be a chef, but..." My voice trailed off. Why not? I had written this dream off because I was a single mom with three kids to support. There was no way I could just have my dream career. Single moms don't get to have that.

Why not?

The thought continued to plague me. The amount of effort seemed monumental. I did well to feed everyone and pay the bills. How on earth could I go back to school? I figured that being a stay-at-home mom for five years before the divorce had doomed me to minimum wage.

Then God provided a way for me to finish my degree - a full ride courtesy of my company. It would be hard, yes, but paid for. I could get that business degree. I could find a way to go to culinary school.

I could do this.

"Have you considered getting a job in the IT field?" Fast-forward six months. I'm sitting at the kitchen table with my older brother.

"This is what I'm good at. I have a natural bent for restaurant management."

"But that's all you've known."

"I love it, though."

My brother sighed. "I may not like my job all the time, but it makes really good money."

"I can live happily on very little. I'd rather do what I love."

As I've discovered, life is all too short. Watching my dad pass away at the young age of sixty really shook me awake. I can't live my life with anything less than passion.

To me, cooking is an art form. When you create a painting or sculpture, people can visually enjoy your art. Food is an art form that you must use all five senses to appreciate. The thing I love the most is that food brings people together. It transcends all cultural and language barriers. Sharing a meal is a basic (and necessary) human enterprise. That's why I love cooking so much; I like bringing people together.

Regardless of how my life plans turn out, more than anything I want to bring people together. I am a mother through and through and it is my natural bent to care for others and build a family community. It is my passion to establish foundations.

So why not?

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