Mindfulness with Molds

I made some pumpkin bread yesterday and used some fun molds of butterflies, bees, and ladybugs. As I was pouring the batter in the mold, it brought up some thoughts about us as humans being fit into a box or mold.

Growing up, I had certain expectations from my parents and religious community to fit a certain box. It took me a few years to realize I didn’t fit the box and many more to “break the mold” and be my unique self. Perhaps you grew up with others expecting you to be a doctor, or a lawyer, get married and have children… the molds are endless.

Having parameters and guidelines to start with are fine, what’s important is each of us having the room to grow into our own mold, that is ever improving. Life is all about expansion and learning. That can’t happen when you are restricted to certain measurements.

I love looking at the different shapes of my pumpkin bread, it sparks creativity and fun. There are so many forms to choose from. I could have filled them with cake mix, or banana bread, or pancake batter. This particular recipe I made gluten free for my friend, Mary. They all have the basic ingredients that are meant to rise - whether they are a white cake mix, yellow, red velvet or chocolate. So with us. We all have divine ingredients that are meant to expand into and above the mold. Being our best, being who we truly are, that is why we are here.

Give this some thought. Are you cramming yourself into a mold built by others? Or are you using your God-given free agency to build your own, so that you can be the BEST YOU? It’s never too late.