Worth the Wait

I don’t know if you’ve seen my Instagram stories,… but my crock-pot and I have been BFFs since Miss ‘Rona came through.

I’ve been hip to slow cookers for a while, but for the last three months, I’ve been using mine almost weekly. Sometimes, I even have it brewing multiple times throughout the week!

When I know I have a busy week ahead, I put some type of meat and bone broth combo in there on Sunday night (last night, I prepped for beef stew!). I let it simmer all night long and wake up to the aroma of goodness filling my nostrils.

I have found that the best part of waking up isn’t “Folgers in my cup.” Oh no – it’s the smell of my smoked turkey necks simmering as I prep to throw my collard greens in there. When the meat cooks overnight, it’s tender, full of flavor, and absorbs the seasoning in a way that my microwave or air fryer (another favorite kitchen appliance) can’t quite duplicate.

I am by no means turning into a food blogger, but I like to post some of my favorite meals on my IG stories and get DM’s from people trying their own recipes. I follow Instagram accounts like @fitmencook, @airfryeraddicts, and @livinglovingpaleo to see how I can turn their recipes into crock-pot versions of my own (because you know you always have to doctor it up!).

But why am I telling YOU this? It’s because I thought of you as I added more spices to my stew meat this morning.

Some of the work that we do, metaphorically speaking, is crock-pot work.

It takes some effort to prepare…

It simmers for a while under heat…

It cooks in the background over time…

and we don’t see it until it’s time to lift the lid.

Everything that we do isn’t going to be microwave work, but that’s okay! Some things will take time, have to be done in the background, and may even be working while others are sleeping on us. Feel me on this: don’t worry about it.

If you start rushing, you’ll end up with undercooked potential. Your dreams and goals are worth taking the time to develop.

Just as sure as I can smell my beef stew right now, I am confident that it’ll be worth the wait.