Thinking Travel

A few days ago I decided to make cupcakes. Then I discovered that I had no boxes of cake mix. And no eggs. I couldn’t even find the spatula.

But I was dying to use my new KitchenAid mixer, and I craved something sweet.

So I found a from-scratch cupcake recipe online, replaced the eggs with coconut milk and a mashed banana, and used a cool-aid stained wooden spoon to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

My coconut-lime cupcakes with coconut-lime icing turned out pretty delicious, even though they ended up tasting more like banana more than anything else.

Why am I telling you this?

Because this baking experience made me think about the times I’ve reacted poorly to unexpected inconveniences while traveling. Instead of getting creative, I’ve gotten mad when things didn’t turn out the way I’d planned.

But I’ve realized that sometimes you just have to move forward, working with what you have, when you don’t have what you think you need.

Sometimes your restaurant bill turns out to be twice as much as you’d expected. Or your Spanish train takes off without you, leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere at midnight. Or your husband has emergency surgery the night you arrive in Berlin.

It happens. (The above have all happened to me.) And if you get creative, instead of getting mad, you can have some great stories to tell the grandkids.

The lesson I’m still learning: Enjoy the banana in your coconut-lime cupcakes.