The Tests Of Life

The tests of life.


No matter which way one puts it, Life is all about tests. Some we welcome and others we avoid like the plague. The older one becomes, the more skilled one gets towards avoiding them or embracing them as a source of betterment.

No test seems plausible at the time, but by learning the process, we ensure we are better equipped when the test comes around again. In theory!

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.” Bernard Edmonds

Education is fundamentally a process in which one is exposed to a series of experiences and skills which instruct and equip us for life. Education in its self doesn’t initiate, but it does prepare us.

Definition:

1. The act or process of educating or being educated.


2. The knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process.


3. A program of instruction of a specified kind or level


4. An instructive or enlightening experience:


Life was never meant to be measured by awards gained or ticks achieved, it is meant to be about living “in the process" and maturing as a result of the experiences that have been provided through the process that tests will bring. Living life focused purely on the results is devoid of the learning process. It improves no one and cheats only ones self.


“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.” Tom Brodett


I spend a considerable amount of time working in the education sector, providing training and personal development. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people misunderstand the core value and ethos of education. It’s incredible the length that some students will go to, in order to short cut the process in preference for attaining the result, void of the experience.


A test will reveal as much about the person taking the test as it will the subject being taken. Every test in life is tailor made for the person taking it. If we live a life of avoidance, we will get to take the test again. Why? The process is more beneficial to our growth in life, than the test itself.

“The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do.” John W Holt

I well remember the driving lessons I took as a teenager. They were laughable, as I lurched from one gear change to another. The grinding of gears, frayed tempers and “bunny hopping” from one lane to the next as everyone within walking distance was exposed to my “learning process”. Although I wanted my driving license, had it been issued to me without the prolonged process, it would not have improved my ability to drive. Surely, the process is what ensures I am capable of passing the test with proven experience? These days I drive HT trucks, HG Trailers, Buses, Mobile homes, automatic and manual transmission and have the license to prove it.


“Wise are they who have learned these truths: Trouble is temporary. Time is tonic. Tribulation is a test tube.” William Arthur Ward


How one handles oneself in the test says more about oneself than the answers ever will.


"The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him, which he finds it hard to answer”

Next time you become aware of a test in your life, remeber this thought!

For the pearl to be created, the oyster needed an irritant.

Iv'e Been Thinking: Hoy YOU!

Iv'e Been Thinking: Hoy YOU!: "Hoy You! Recently, I have been spending time providing support within a cooking school for future chefs. Many of the students have their f..."

Hoy YOU!

Hoy You!


Recently, I have been spending time providing support within a cooking school for future chefs. Many of the students have their focus elsewhere, but have presently decided to grace us with their presence in the hallowed halls of learning. Many of the students have the ethos that if they ignore what I say, I will eventually give up and move to the Bahamas where I will blithely sip piña colada through a crystal straw and dream of England winning the world cup? Fat chance on both counts!

No, I am here to stay and despite the shortcomings of my present soiree, I have the bit between my teeth and leeks at the ready we head once again to the battlefields of crème de Crecy and Vichyssoise, in the hope that today will fair greater than my last sauté or should I say sortie?

It is great to be a part of educating the younger generation, but often times it goes beyond exasperation and into the realms of unbelief, as I use every bit of cunning and guile to re-direct their focus and willfulness. Over the past few weeks I have collected a few of the sound bites that I have hurled across the steaming presses in the hope that rather than flying strait through their ear space, they might hover for a while amidst the grey matter, before stumbling haplessly through space and crashing to the ground, never to be considered again.

"OK let me say it again....don't stir the pot, don't stir the pot"! What did I say students? 'Don't stir the pot Chef!". Fine!!!! HOY, YOU! Why are you stirring the POT? What did I say "Don't stir the pot chef"

“HOY YOU! Yes you! What knife do we use to fillet fish”? ”A filleting knife Chef”! “What’s that in your hand?”. “Fish Chef”, “NO THE OTHER HAND!” “Oh, a boning knife Chef”. ” And what do we use a boning knife for?”. ” Meat Chef!” “What are we doing today?” “Filleting fish Chef”

“Hoy You! Where’s your apron?” “I left it at home Chef”, “why, was it ill or something”, “no Chef I forgot it”, “well go home and re-unite yourself with your poorly pinny”.

“Hoy you! What’s the rule about mobile phones being used in my kitchen”? Sorry chef, I forgot to switch it off! “Fine, I may just forget to let you go home”, “It’s Off Chef”

“Hoy! Has anyone seen my glasses?” “Yes Chef” (they all shout back). ” Well, I’m waiting”, “They’re on your head Chef (giggle).

“What are you doing with that butter?” “Weighing it Chef”. “How much do you want?” “500 grams Chef”. What weight does it say on the packet?”. “500 grams Chef!

“Hoy! Watch my lips! Do not put the bowl on the heat it will cook the yolks! What did I say?” “Don’t put the bowl on the heat Chef”. “Chef, my yolks have gone all funny”. “Where are they geographically located?”

………

“I won’t say this again, so listen up. This species of fish have spikes all the way along the dorsal fin. They are lethal and if you handle them wrongly” (interrupted by screams, squealing and whimpering) “Arghhh, ah ah ah ah, that hurt Chef”. “Oh brother, first aid kit please”

“These Knives are razor sharp! They are not play things, they are professional tools, designed to separate meat from bone” “What are they designed to do?” “Separate meat from bone chef” “The steel is the same steel the Samurai used for their swords, hot and cold, pressed tempered and refined steel. What are they designed to do?” “Separate meat from bone chef.” “Today’s lesson is cutting Sashimi. This is fish, this is………First aid kit please”