My husband is an encourager. If I mention something I find interesting or inspiring, he’s there to encourage me to give it a try for myself and explore my creativity. My husband’s encouragement is how I came to contribute to this blog. His encouragement is also how my third-trimester obsession with watching videos of other people decorate sugar cookies (pregnancy can be weird like that) turned into a hobby and creative outlet! He said “You keep watching other people decorate cookies, why don’t you try? With practice, I bet you’d be great!”
A trip to the grocery store for meringue powder, food coloring, a couple piping tips, and almond extract completed the supplies needed to get started with the cookie decorating experiment.
With practice, like my husband said, maybe I will be great. After all, my friends and family love the taste and texture of the cookies as well as the icing, and I improve my decorating a little bit with each attempt. Great or not, in the trenches of balancing full-time employment, full-time parenting, and being fully present to my spouse, this unexpected hobby has given me a creative outlet to enjoy. Cookie decorating has also become a small way to share kindness and offer hospitality (through cookies!) with friends and family when we get together.
- What kinds of hobbies have sneaked into your life and added unexpected joy?
- How does your spouse encourage your creative spirit?
With so much focus on the ways we are encouraging our child(ren)’s creativity, maybe the start of this new year is the perfect time for you to get back in touch with your own creativity or to encourage your spouse in their own creative endeavors.
