Learning and Rice Cookers

"Talk doesn’t cook rice.”

I think I read this pithy proverb in a fortune cookie or on a Good Earth tea bag.

Either way, it's pithy . . . and strikes a "oh-that's-so-true" chord.

Talking about the to-do list doesn’t check anything off the to-do list. Talking doesn’t put on the work boots. And it doesn’t earn callouses on hard working hands.

At some point, the talking has to stop and the working/cooking must begin.

Or does it?

I’ve cooked a lot of rice. Literally. For years I made it in a saucepan, watched it closely as it came to a boil, turned the heat down to a low simmer and put the lid on, and stayed close by to avoid burning the bottom.

And then I discovered a rice cooker. Add rice. Add water. Press button. Walk away. (And I can carry on a conversation while doing it.)

That's when I learned an important lesson: Cooking rice and talking are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but I first needed to learn a better way.

There’s always a better way…if we’re willing to learn.