How to Eat an Elephant

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

Sometimes eating an elephant seems like a great idea.  Sometimes eating an elephant is thrust upon us.  Whichever it is, eating an elephant is not for the faint of heart!

My son recently decided to eat an elephant. He’s started driving a truck a few months ago and yesterday became a lease operator.  There’s a lot more potential to earn money, but the enormity of the situation suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks.  The payments are gigantic and the miles he has to drive are many.  I can almost hear him say, “Mom, I don’t know what I was thinking, but I have this dead elephant and now I have to eat it.” 

I ate an elephant last year by getting through seven weeks of chemo and radiation after surgery.  I would have preferred the vegetarian diet, but the great dietician in the sky decided I needed chewy, flavorless, tough hide instead!

Usually, the first thing we do after we start chewing on elephant carcass is to worry.  What if we can’t get it all down?  Who do we think we are, trying to show off like that, or just managing to get through it?  What if we get tired of elephant and are stuck eating it the rest of our lives?  What if we don’t even like elephant?  What if all our friends see us eating elephant and either shun us or are jealous of us?  How should we even attempt to eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!

Many people give up because they look at the whole elephant and get overwhelmed. So when the worry starts to overwhelm you, STOP and think about what you can do about it right this second?  If the answer is nothing then let it go (breathing helps).  During cancer treatment, it was tempting to look at the entire treatment and what it was going to do to me, instead of just getting up every morning and taking a bite of elephant.  For my son, it’s more worrisome to think of the grand sum that his truck is going to cost than to focus on the weekly payments.  Break down that elephant into bite size chunks and don’t forget to remove the bones.

Don’t try to eat the whole elephant at once.  I’m not sure why some people think they have to overwhelm themselves, but it will choke them eventually.  It is an effective way to sabotage yourself, however. 

Use variety when you can!  Sometimes you need to put the elephant down and eat a brownie!  Use sauces and gravies and little sprigs of parsley, if they make you happy.  Everything can’t be about the elephant you’re downing.  It’s easy to let every conversation be about that dad gummed elephant, don’t let that happen.   

Give yourself a lot of credit and praise each and every time you take another bite.  Post it on your Facebook wall.  Take out an advertisement.  Hire one of those planes with the sign on the back.  Complain a little if you need to, but mostly brag about your amazing capacity as a human being to tackle something so huge!

At some point in your life, you will be asked to eat an elephant…either by yourself or someone else.  Just remember to open wide, chew thoroughly and inspire everyone else with a great elephant recipe!

Good luck, Benjamin!  I know you’ll do well! 
Love you,
Mom

“What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it.

~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry~

Recipe for Fudgy Frosted Cake (for when you’re sick of chewing elephants)

6 squares of semi sweet chocolate                   ½ C butter or margarine

1 C brown sugar                                                     ½ C evaporated milk

1 package white or yellow cake mix (w/pudding)

Generously spray 13x 9 inch pan.  Line bottom with wax paper and spray again.  Heat chocolate, butter, brown sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan, low heat, stirring until smooth.  Spread on bottom of pan, prepare cake and slowly pour batter over chocolate mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes.  Use spatula to remove from pan.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts or coconut.

Enjoy!