Recipe for Progress

Only three ingredients needed:

1. A specific and realistic goal, the smaller the better.
2. A deadline, the sooner the better.
3. Accountability. Just one person will do. Someone to hold you to it.

Jicima salad: mixed greens, almonds, black and kidney beans, carrot, red onion, tahini-balsamic dressing.

Mushroom, chick pea, zucchini, and parsnip soup, plus spinach.

I want to publish a cookbook. I've wanted this for a ridiculously long time. I have a very specific idea for the book and have put a ridiculous amount of work into it over a ridiculous number of years, but for some reason, I don't get any closer to getting it done. In fact, the closer I get, the more important it seems that I clean out the coat closet and get my underwear drawer organized to perfection.

I mentioned to my brother J~ that I'm struggling with this and he said, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Next thing I knew, I had homework, and a deadline.

My goal this week is an outline, just one page, a very rough bare bones sketch of the book.

The deadline? Tomorrow. I'm giving myself until the end of the day.

Progress so far? Let's just say I've gotten a lot of other long-avoided chores done, and my kitchen is very clean.

What will happen if I don't come through? Nothing.

But nothing is not good. I'm sick of nothing. It's time to stick my neck out - for something.

So today I broke out the dusty cookbook files. And tomorrow I will have a lot of work to do.