There is a woman I have known for quite a few years who owns her own business. It is a luxury business, so naturally she has been going under since the economy has fallen apart. She lost her home and the office that she had been doing business in. Naturally, she should be scared.
However, being scared in her case means throwing things out the window left, right and center. Her fear has overpowered her and caused her to make stupid decisions. She has put her faith in the wrong people and things, such as TV appearances (which, knowing the entertainment industry, I can tell you for a fact that Hollywood is not a miracle worker and does not solve problems). Meanwhile, she is tossing aside people who stood by her through the years through thick and thin -- myself included.
When we are on the verge of losing everything, it’s often easy to lose our heads. We put our faith in the wrong things, often losing ourselves to our imaginations of how our lives should be versus the way they are now. Trust me, I know – I struggle with it every day.
With all the free time that I have, it’s very tempting to shop, take vacations or act like I don’t have to find a job soon. Quite a few friends of mine have used their unemployment time to go to far-off lands or lounge around. Since I feel like I’m currently draining my savings, I’m trying my best not to ask my parents for help and I have a husband who’s also out of work, I don’t feel it’s wise of me to do the same thing. Although it would be nice to get away from the stress, it’s something out of the price range of a couple who is just squeaking by.
And it makes me wonder: Why do people do this? Why, in times where we need to be responsible and take care of things, do sabotage ourselves and invest ourselves in unrealistic things?
Pull yourselves together, people. Yes, we may not have jobs, and the future may be completely uncertain. But it doesn’t mean that we should throw everything away and become hedonists. We need to realize that after the vacation or shopping spree that we going to come back and still have to deal. The problems will still be there, no matter what how we distract ourselves.
We need to think about what we’re doing in a time of crisis. Just because the world is going insane doesn’t mean that we should, too. And, above all, we shouldn’t throw away the things that matter for impossible dreams and delusions. After all, when things get better and we pull ourselves out of our crises, we are going to find out we lost a lot more than just our money in that difficult period. We lose the people around us.
In the meantime, we need to cherish those who have stood by us through these difficult times and have loved us no matter how much money we have had in our pockets or how well-traveled we are (even though they may love us for our peach cobbler). So in honor of the people who I had the pleasure of having dinner with – Jeffrey, Sabrina, Tal, Merav, Josh, Drew and Elana, I post the peach cobbler that the majority of you enjoyed last night.
PEACH COBBLER
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/3 c plus 1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
11/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 egg, slightly beaten
4-7 fresh peaches
1/2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
Preheat oven 400 degrees..In a bowl, mix 2 cups flour, salt and 1/3 cup sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture is fine particles. (See QUCIK TIP) Mix in egg.
Press 3/4 of the dough in a greased pan and up edges. Slice peaches (do NOT peel) and mix with 1/2 cup sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Pour on top of the dough in the pan. Drizzle with honey and lemon juice. Crumble remaining dough over top. Bake in oven on the shelf below the center rack 45 minutes to 1 hour.
QUICK TIP: Don’t worry, a pastry blender is not an expensive high-tech gizmo. It has a handle and three blades or wires attached to the handle. It is worth the investment for a job like this, because it’s just that much easier.
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