In years past I would make certain things for the holidays. Things like my baked veggie dip, my cheese ball, and peanut butter fudge. The fudge was really for Hubby since I have never been a big fan of sweets and even less so now that I’ve cut back on sugar. I’d usually have one, maybe two, pieces per batch and they were always small pieces.

I wasn’t going to make them this year since it was just the two of us, but Hubby asked. First for the cheese ball, then the fudge, and finally the dip. I made the cheese ball first and then once it was gone I made the dip and fudge but because Hubby has also cut back on sugar and I had always thought the peanut butter fudge was too sweet anyway, I decided to make some adjustments to the recipe so I could reduce the amount of sugar.

Well…

I didn’t get the ratio right and so the fudge never set properly. Instead of being upset about it, I scooped it into a bowl and decided to call it spoon fudge. It still tastes like peanut butter fudge, if a little less sweet. Plus, now we can eat it without getting sticky fingers and I’m considering sending Hubby to the store for some vanilla ice cream so I can make some peanut butter milk shakes since it’s soft enough that I believe it will blend well. Hubby pointed out that it would also be a good filling for homemade peanut butter cups. And apparently it’s also good spread on toast.

The point is, things rarely turn out the way we want or hope. Instead of getting upset or beating ourselves up for making a mistake, embrace the idea of spoon fudge. It’s not what I had planned but it’s just as good and maybe even better in some ways.

I think a lot of us are guilty of expecting perfection—from ourselves more so than others. I know in my writing I’m the most critical reader I’ll ever have. Things I wouldn’t think twice about in someone else’s books will drive me to distraction in my own. Little things that don’t really matter, I’ll get stuck on because it’s not perfect and my head is telling me it has to be perfect.

Being able to embrace the spoon fudge in my life is something I’m consciously trying to change about myself. To be less critical of myself. To take what comes and make it my own. To be more appreciative of what I do have rather than focusing on the things that didn’t work out.

While life may not work out the way we hoped there’s always room for spoon fudge.