I’m Schizophrenic and So Am I

Valentine’s Day is a flippin’ awesome holiday. There. I said it. And it only took me 24 years and one awesome husband to do so. Wee.

Not that we did anything super fancy. Mr. Rao and I stayed home on our very first Valentine’s Day and I made a ganache tart. Of which I am supremely proud. Just to be obnoxious, here’s a picture. But be warned. Objects in the picture are smaller than they appear. MUCH smaller. But enough to satisfy two confirmed chocoholics.

My day did not start out all that extraordinary though. In fact, I was pretty bummed out that I couldn’t think up anything special for my husband on our first Valentine’s Day. Had we already morphed into one of those boring old married couples we constantly hear about? Gasp! Never!

Still, I was grumpy and I stayed that way until late afternoon when I got a very wonderful, uplifting message from Mr. Rao. It hit me then, in a very Paul-on-the-road-to-Damascus kinda way, that it’s my life. Funky, fancy restaurants don’t make my life special. I do. And thus, my super awesome ganache tart was born. Sigh. Good times.

So the past seven months have been epic and I’ve had many, many epiphanies along the way. Of course, by “epiphanies” I mean “hot fudge sundaes” which is probably why my saris don’t fit me anymore. But really, it’s been realizations galore around here. Here are a few:

1. I really, really, really love to cook. Which is huge. 8 months ago, I could barely boil a potato (as clearly evidenced by the Great Potato Salad Debacle of 2001. Did you know you have to boil the potato first?) Today, I have the in-law stamp of approval. In fact, a few weeks after the wedding, we had the family over for dinner after which Mama Rao came up to me and said, “I’m so glad my son is not going to starve”. Yay me!

2. Miracles do happen. If you ask. And if you believe. Just ask my momma. Three months ago, she was in the ICU. Two weeks ago, she made fish biryani for 20 people. Miracles happen.

(For all of you waiting to start a comments war on this one, remember- just because opinions are like bum-holes does not mean you should be.)

3. Decepticons are way cooler than Autobots.

4. For anything in life that really matters, whether relationships or career or baking, you only get as much as you put in.

5. Pedicures are great for the soul. And feet too.

And probably the biggest one of all, it’s ok to be different to different people. It does not make you fake. It makes you mature. I can’t crack dirty jokes with my parents-in-law the same way I can’t waltz into my colleague’s house and start washing dishes. These are all just different versions of Sheryll. I may be schizophrenic. But I’m still me.