“Plan the work and work the plan” is a fabulous piece of wisdom, but it doesn’t account for what happens when the plan you made…well, doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s a plan for someone else, maybe it’s a plan for another you, maybe it’s a pipe dream wrapped in an unrealistic cocoon nestled into a big pile of not-gonna-happen-jack.

This was a revelation for the week. Realizing that you’re only as strong as the people around you lifting you up, two great friends and I got together this week to talk about our creative goals, accountability and how we can help one another. It was one of those supportive, open conversations with lots of free-flowing advice, laughter and insight that you always see in the movies but it was real life. And a little nugget (thanks, Jaime!) sprang forth: Don’t stick with a plan that’s not working when there’s another way.

My year started with a number of goals and “Cook something from a different cookbook” was a big one. Mechanic and I love to cook together and I’m a nerd for trying new techniques and flavor combinations, so it sounded like the perfect goal.

Except. I saw a recipe for golden beet pasta in a blog this week that made me drool. And Whole Foods had a watermelon radish and I couldn’t find a recipe. And instead of feeling excited about a new mini-adventure (hey, it’s the little things), I was feeling irritated that I needed to fit in a cookbook recipe AND whatever new ingredient caught my fancy. So I took a self-indulgent step back.

What was my goal? Was it really to make a new recipe from a cookbook each week? Nah. It was to cook more, to use our own four hands and cute little kitchen to nourish our bodies and to broaden our food horizons. When your plan is getting in the way of your goal, it’s time to reevaluate.

Revised goal: Make a new recipe or prepare a new food each week. It doesn’t have to be complicated and shouldn’t be a source of stress. It can be as simple as the watermelon radishes (my first!) I sliced and topped with avocado, lemon juice, parsley and pomegranate vinegar.

In this case, simple and uncomplicated was delicious.