“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
I recently turned 60, and have been thinking a lot about my life – my past, present and, of course…my future – the remaining act of my life’s performance, and how I want my story to end. My final chapters.
I really struggled to find my footing for 29 years – over half my life. I have been married for 30 years; been a parent for 20, and a chef for 25. I found my gift and purpose at 30 (culinary school); my human purpose at 40 (the birth of my children), and now my soul’s purpose: to give away the gift I have been blessed with – COOKING.
As they say, life does get better. My early challenges have made me a better person, parent, friend, human being and citizen of the world. With my blog (epicureanglobalexchange.com), I welcome our readers to learn, grow and engage; to be inspired and fulfilled “with our world through food and culture; people and places; art, writings and music, and thoughts and ideas that together make up our shared global experience.”
Cooking, nourishing, teaching, inspiring and engaging with students, families, colleagues; local, domestic and international travel partners; learning from others, challenging myself to face head-on my lingering fears; overcoming biases and prejudices; letting go of old, tired patterns, and accepting new enlightening ways of working and living; nurturing my lifelong friendships and welcoming new friends and acquaintances. My work and purpose have saved me.
To me, every class, occasion, gathering, travel opportunity, and even simple chance meetings are all individual “tiles” in the mosaic that is my life. Each encounter enriches me; adds new perspective, and provides me with more insight to make my life and work more impactful and meaningful for others.
I have been blessed in my life to find my purpose. I love cooking, and never tire of it. Cooking to me is not just a practical, necessary activity to survive. To me, cooking is a life-affirming, soul-lifting and engaging process that provides human connection, improves health, quality of life, promotes mindfulness and is a creative, fulfilling activity. Cooking is life’s human equalizer, like putting one’s pants on one leg at a time. We all have a past – before we became “who we are” – and will have an unpredictable future that will close the curtain on our life. And it is ALL influenced by what we have eaten, what we will eat, who we cook for, who cooked for us, and who we share our meals with.
I hope this post becomes more than about me; about my journey, and what I hope to become with what time I have left.
I hope it inspires others to look inward, outward and beyond comfort zones to find your soul’s purpose. It is NEVER too late.
~ Chef Charlie
