By Molly Patrick
Mar 6, 2021,
Can someone please tell me about this “wagon” that people keep falling off?
I have so many questions. Mainly, where is it going, and is there wi-fi?
Is it a covered wagon or one of those red wagons that I’d like to buy and fill with like 20 litters of kittens and just walk up and down my street, bringing adorable kitten joy to the neighborhood?
Maybe it’s a station wagon? If it’s anything like my first car, a 1977 pea green Toyota Corolla with fancy pink fleece upholstery and paisley carpet, I do understand the disappointment of no longer being on board. That was a sweet ride.
Real talk, are people jumping off of this wagon? Are they being pushed? Do they trip? Do they want to stay on, but then they choose to exit? Did they not like where the wagon was headed?
Let’s see how we can look at this without our ass being chafed by the wooden seat we’re desperately clinging to as Walter, the wagon driver, blows cigar smoke in our face and eats baked beans from a can while cleaning his nails with an actual pocket knife.
You know that New Year’s resolution you made? There’s a pretty good chance that you haven’t / won’t follow through with it.
Most of us don’t. And then we feel so bad about it that we go straight back to the very behavior that we were doing pre-ball drop.
The New Year’s wagon is cruising along, and we are nowhere to be found.
Do you know why?
Because we’re human, and this is what humans do.
The fan-fucking-tastic news is that we can still accomplish whatever we want in life, regardless of whether or not we’ve fallen off the New Year’s wagon. We just have to work with our human-ness instead of against it.
Instead of making a big fuss about resolutions and wagons every year, what if we just decided, on literally any day of the year (today is a good day) what we want, and then factor in that we will definitely fail along the way?
Because we WILL fail. We will drop the ball.
Because we WILL fail. We will drop the ball. We will do a flying leap off that smelly wagon. We will eat the thing we’re trying to avoid. We will watch Netflix sometimes instead of working out. Our human-ness guarantees it.
But that doesn’t give us a free pass to stop trying.
What if reaching your goal is a package deal that includes failing along the way? What if you didn’t follow through yesterday and you try again today? What if you can’t reach your goals without the lessons you learn from not following through? What if there is nothing at all wrong with where you’re at, and you just need to keep moving forward?
You’re going to fail either way, you may as well fail forward and keep working on what you really, really want.
Get on the wagon. Get off. Stay for a while. Love the wagon. Hate the wagon. Tumble off. Make small talk with the driver. Get on another wagon. Make your own wagon. It doesn’t matter. Falling off the New Year’s wagon doesn’t even matter.
It’s what you do next that matters most.
What does your current wagon situation look like? Talk to us in the comments below!
Ingredients
Add as much or as little to your toast as you'd like
- ½ cup raw pine nuts, toasted (directions below) (65 g)
- 1–2 slices (per person) 100% whole wheat or sprouted grain bread, toasted
- avocado, sliced
- capers, drained
- jarred roasted red bell peppers, sliced
- black pepper to taste
- dried red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Place a small skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook for 2–3 minutes, until golden brown, stirring often. Keep an eye on them, they burn fast! Remove the nuts from the skillet and transfer to a small bowl to cool.
- Gently mash some avocado onto your toast, then add some capers, roasted red pepper, pine nuts, black pepper, and chili flakes (if using).
Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with not caring so much about wagons.
Xo
Molly
10 Comments
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Thank you so much for your very wise & encouraging words. ❤️
Yes to this! I’ve been eating lovely WFPB food for a while, but recently I think I’ve been a bit too strict with myself, trying to avoid nuts and salt and such… resulting inevitably in struggling to stick with it! But you are so right, it’s what we do next that matters!
Thanks you know i fell down the stairs a couple years ago I had too much in my hand and when I turned down I went brain damage and knocked out and taken to a hospital in Columbus Ohio along way from here and waking up to find my 3 daughters standing next to me with my man. Boy that was a trip but I am all better now and feeling much better.
So appreciated! I recently came across a quote by Thomas A Edison, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Hugs
like that quote its pretty neat
Interesting concept. Thanks for this! My imaginary wagon is grim. It’s full of pious, unwashed, rule loving pilgrim types, and I’ve just realised it’s a place I simply don’t want to be. I’m always glad to jump off asap, and wave it a cheery goodbye with a feisty middle finger. I’ve never before considered the wagon being anything else. I’m liking the sound of a pink fluffy seated, paisley carpeted sweet ride full of joy and spontaneous hipster types. This is a completely different wagon, and one I want to get into. Maybe I can stay on my imaginary wagon more easily if I think of it in a different way.
Thank you – so much wisdom here that I need to really absorb. All or nothing and perfectionist thinking is pretty pervasive.
I added several quotes to my journal so I can continue to reflect on your words:
“Because we will fail. We will drop the ball.”
“Because we are human and that’s what humans do.”
“Keep moving forward.”
“It’s what you do next that matters most.”
Thank you for your continued inspiration.
I’m not vegan or vegetarian but I love reading what you’re putting out there! Food is beautiful took!
Thank you Holly for that quote
My wagon right now involves being separated from my husband not because we want to split up. He is in the country where we have been living for the past 4+ years. In October, we were both on track to get our permanent residency there. BUT my visa got screwed up and I had to come back to the US. If he gets his permanent visa, I will get it too as his wife. BUT he has to stay there until its to submit the application. So now I am living in temporary housing about to start a new intense job and missing him. I’ve not been handling the situation at all and he is seriously considering coming back and “bagging” the permanent visa! I know I want to hold my SH*T together so we can get this and BOTH live there again but its really tough.