An Eggs-ample of Humility

May 7

I eat a lot of hard boiled eggs. They are quick to make, can be taken on the go, and keep hunger away all morning. Whenever I make hard boiled eggs, I put the pot on the stove and set my phone alarm. This past Monday, I put the eggs on the stove and set my alarm for 10 minutes while I checked emails in my office. It is important to note, my office is 21 steps away from the stove. I counted! My alarm goes off, I get up, and I was distracted 12 steps away from the stove and forgot about the eggs.

You see the picture of the kitchen disaster. I received this picture while teaching a class at school. It took me a gasp to realize what happened. My eggs exploded! You will see in the picture a pair of legs. The legs belong to an Oblate in my community, Fr. Morse. This means that not only did I make a mess, but there is a witness. Now, there is also a high probability that the story of my exploding eggs will be recounted at dinner. I rushed to the house (the house is attached to the school) to clean the kitchen and profess, “Mea Culpa!” Even with Latin on my lips, the voices in my head were clearly English.

Anxiety, distraction, worry, and anger, Francis de Sales spends significant time on these topics. As a believer and practitioner of Salesian Spirituality, I have spent years cultivating the present moment, facing worry, anxiety, and anger with patience and gentleness. I have taken St. Francis’ words to heart; and yet… I still explode eggs on the stove and run into the kitchen humiliated.

Here is the thing - I wish I could tell people that cultivating a heart in the Spirit of Francis and Jane will allow us to avoid exploding eggs and humiliation in our lives. It won’t. At least, it hasn’t for me. I never needed assistance in reminding me of my imperfections. But now, I share a photo of my embarrassment, a picture of my imperfections, and it brings a smile to my face. Perfection was never the goal anyways.

May God be Praised!