What’s Your Ingredient?

May and June rank up there as some of my favorite months, not at the top, but pretty close. The reason is my wife’s Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. It started out as pie, and Kerry hits that recipe out of the park also, but the crisp is really good. My thoughts then are why is it so good, the main ingredients, the strawberries, the rhubarb, the crunchy oatmeal topping? Maybe it’s just the right amount of sugar, or just a “pinch” of salt to bring out the flavors.

Each ingredient has its own value to the whole recipe, the richness of fresh strawberries, tartness of rhubarb, sweetness of sugar, texture of oatmeal in the topping, salt to highlight the flavors, each so important to the success of the whole.

My question to you today, what do you bring to the economic development recipe in your community? Are you the strawberries or the rhubarb (now that could have at least two definitions for you to look up) or are you’re the salt? Do you bring relationships, a voice of reason, technical expertise on financing and incentives, or maybe historical background to the project?

Each of us has to bring something (ingredient) to the table for the community (recipe) to be successful, sometimes you may be the main ingredient, sometimes you may just be a pinch that makes the recipe its best. But always each ingredient is needed for the recipe win the blue ribbon at the baking contest.

You are important to the success of the whole, bring your ingredient to the recipe. Remember though, if you are bringing the salt, don’t overdo it or you will get noticed in the wrong way! Recognize the others for what they bring as we are all needed from the strawberries to the oatmeal to the salt.

And don’t forget the ice cream!