Ah, the holidays are here, and with them comes a mix of complex emotions.
I need to start this post by letting you know that I never, ever cry. Well, hardly ever. Like twice a year. I think I even skipped last year. So I guess I’m due.
The other day, while watching Gingerbread Giants on the Food Network, I discovered actual tears on my cheeks after learning Ann Britt Bailey won the grand prize for her 2017 gingerbread creation titled “Three Ghosts,” an edible interpretation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
I like gingerbread, but I wouldn’t say I’m emotional about it. I’ve never gotten teary-eyed over any house I’ve ever decorated. In fact, I tossed the two we decorated this year two days before Christmas with nary a fleeting regret.
I’m not even that big of a fan of A Christmas Carol. It’s cute, but I’ll take How the Grinch Stole Christmas any day of the week. There’s something magical about the Christmas spirit in Whoville.
What is it about Christmas that brings out all the feels?
I think it’s a combination of two very important emotions:
Gratitude for what happened last year
Expectation for what will happen in the new year
“Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go next.” ”
For someone who hardly ever cries, it seems dumb to admit that a gingerbread competition I had never heard of nor knew any of the contestants at would cause such salty discharge to stream down my cheeks.
But it’s the truth.
Ann Bailey’s prize was a respectable $5,000. Was the money the reason for my tears? It seems like a paltry amount when you consider the nearly 800 hours of work she put into the piece, not to mention the expense, travel, and (I’m only guessing here) physical toll it took on her body (Not only is she a breast cancer survivor, but anyone capable of that kind of intricate detail would have to experience some degree of eye fatigue and back pain.)
I think I saw something in Ann that reminded me of myself.
No one feels fully equipped and has the unlimited funds, time and energy to achieve their goals. All of us are terrified of failure, looking silly, and disappointing our friends. So what causes some people to give up and go home while others continue to hone their craft until they become the best in their field? And what is it that attracts us to those people?
Still emotional, I got curious about Ann Bailey. I learned she discovered the National Gingerbread Competition in 2006 while channel surfing in her living room. At the time, she was already an accomplished artist but everything she had baked up until that time had come solely from a box. Can you believe Ann doesn’t even like gingerbread?
She didn’t place until 2009.
Ann said, “I refuse to underachieve. I love to challenge myself. If have to do something 35,000 times, I will master it.”
That’s what dedication looks like!
Ann Bailey is a learner. So am I. And so are you. That’s what we say, anyway. Every year, my friends and I decide how many books we’re going to read—usually somewhere between 25 and 60, a paltry amount compared to book nerds like Bill Gates and Gretchen Rubin. We love to read together because reading is fun, but it’s not…focused.
And focus is a profound motivator.
What if this year we decided to do something different? What if together we chose one topic that interests us and then read/studied/did everything we could related to that one subject? So instead of piling up a mix of fiction, memoir, business, and poetry, we would vow instead to focus on our one thing?
Choose your topic. What is it? Write it down.
This year, I’ll be focusing on Women and Work.
Ann Bailey has finally given up on gingerbread. But she’s not hanging up her apron yet. Now that she’s mastered cookies, she’s turning her attention to wedding cakes. There’s no doubt she’s got the talent. After seeing her success in one medium, I’m excited to follow her progress in this new one.
What will you focus on this year?
Here’s to new adventures in 2020!
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