Don’t Burn the Popcorn!

I used to burn popcorn a lot. I mean, I’ve burnt a lot of food in my day, but popcorn probably takes the cake.

I would follow the directions on the bag, set the timer, and listen for the pops. I would stand patiently by the microwave to wait for the perfect time to pull it out with a maximum number of kernels popped. And then… the smell of burnt popcorn permeated our house, and that’s a smell that lingers. The whole bag would be ruined. I hate burnt popcorn.

Somewhere along the line, I had an epiphany (Now, hear me out on this one) … what if I just take the bag out before it’s done? What if I cut the time short? What if I stop listening to what the experts say (AKA – the instructions on the bag), and I just follow my intuition and pull it out early.

You see, at one point, I wanted to try to pop as many kernels as I possibly could. But in that endeavor, I’d burn the whole bag.

So, I’ve learned to pull the bag early and just throw away the unpopped kernels.

Hey Mamas! I’m looking at you – you’ll burn the popcorn if you try to pop all the kernels.

We have the temptation to do all the fun things. To add as many wonderful things to our schedule as possible. To make magical moments last longer than they should. To take every picture. Capture every moment. To do TOO MUCH.

I understand this temptation all too well. I love the feeling I get when my kids are happy with something I’ve done for them. I love making memories and capturing them in a picture. But If I’m not careful, I become overindulgent. I schedule too many things. I linger too long.

And that’s when the popcorn begins to burn.

I’ve learned not to push myself past my capacity. I have a breaking point, and my kids do too. I’m not actually the gatekeeper of their happiness, and when I try to manipulate situations to create the ultimate experience, I’m serving myself and not my family. And I’ll never be truly happy that way.

So, here’s advice from a Mama who’s burned way too much popcorn. Leave some kernels unpopped and enjoy the rest of the bag. Merry Christmas, friends!