I like cooking and baking. Part of this enjoyment, I am sure, is because I love to eat, and by preparing my own food, I can adjust the recipe slightly to suit my own preferences.

But another enjoyable aspect of cooking and baking is the effort involved in creating something worthwhile- something that I and hopefully others can enjoy and benefit from. I don’t claim to be an expert in any of these areas, but I find photography and writing enjoyable for the same element of creation.

I don’t mind using another’s recipe, but it is particularly satisfying when something that I thought of, no matter how simple, turns out to be delicious.

For example, I like experimenting with different mix-ins with oatmeal for breakfast. One of my favorites is to add raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and a little brown sugar.  (I planned on posting a picture but it wasn’t that impressive so you’ll have to use your imagination.)

I like this quote from President Uchtdorf regarding the happiness that comes from creation:

” The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty…”

“You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.”

So, while you may not enjoy cooking, see what you can create today!