Baking always reminds me how much I like to create. I like to make something, anything, things in general. There is a sense of accomplishment that I enjoy.
As I was making the baklava and reading all the comments, I came across one that I loved. I will paraphrase here. Don't worry about the fillo dough crinkling up. You aren't trying to make something that looks perfect, you are trying to makes something that is delicious and the crinkles are where all the flavor hides.
I loved it. How true! First, for baklava, my favorite parts are all crinkly! Second, for so many other things. All the "crinkles" in my life have definitely lent flavor.
"A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak all the way back to your house."
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house." - Chinese Parable
