Above all Have a Good Time!

I visited Washington, DC last week. Among the many amazing sights to see there are some great museums. One is the American History Museum, which displays Julia Child's 'kitchen' from the set of her long-past PBS TV shows. It was a thrill to see this display and it reminded me of why I have such a high regard for her. She had such a lust for life.

Julia persevered no matter how many times she was told 'No'. She was open-minded, experimented and, tried new things.  She learned new languages, adapted to new cultures and found new ways of doing things. To me, she seemed fearless. Ultimately, she persevered and kept doing what she loved to do.  When she'd make a mistake – like dropping a chicken on the kitchen floor, she'd laugh, pick the bird back up, brush if off and keep cooking.  I admire her zest and joie de vivre – her willingness to do what she really wanted to do, even when others said it couldn't be done. Sadly, she's not on the planet anymore, but she continues to inspire, through books (cookbooks and otherwise), a wonderful current film (Julie & Julia), DVDs of her cooking shows and this terrific display.

The quote shown in this photo is really how she felt about cooking – but it could easily be interpreted as how she lived her life.

What a great motto to live by.

Who inspires you?