Write what you know

I just read that on a website about how everyone has a book in them. So, I started thinking about what I know. Nursing has to be the top of the list ... working full time 32+ years as a nurse in varied settings and locales has been my major focus. But, the list of interests and skills I have attained outside of nursing is equally important to me and those have changed over the years.

One thing that has remained constant over most of my adult life is my love of home cooking. Experimenting in the kitchen with whatever ingredients are local, fresh & in season or just something that I read about will set me off on a cooking frenzy. Of course, living in New England tends to center my choices around the seasons. I sometimes yearn to be in the San Diego area, where I lived for a few years in the '80s, with the best veggies and fruits: multiple growing seasons; truly a fresh ingredient treasure trove of a location. But, I am a New Englander by heart, so here I am to stay. I do love to travel but I just can't imagine living too far from the ocean and all that I know and love that is here.

I started thinking about my love of cooking and how nursing and cooking are similar ... in nursing you have the basic principles and as long as you abide by those, you can be creative in your approach, much the same way I proceed in building a dish from something I read or just a craving. Over the years, at various times, while sharing kitchen space with others, I noticed my way of cooking/creating to be different than others. I am a "recipe is a guide" kind of gal compared to many who measure, read every word in a recipe and follow to the letter. I tend to substitute based on what I have on hand, what I like or what I have learned from previous concoctions. I'm not afraid to fail, I learn from those attempts that don't work out and I have a willing taster living with me so that makes it easier. I will try to re-create great dishes I have had at restaurants after asking for hints or actual recipes from the chef. I have found at least half the time, they will be happy to give some tips. There is a wonderful restaurant we frequent in the city that is very glad to explain their techniques and although I don't walk away with every recipe, I get enough information to make my own version.

So, what else do I know?
A pretty good understanding of tai chi, although I have a long way to go before I can call myself a seasoned practitioner (that takes practice, lol!); passable French and Spanish (can understand a lot more than speak & I have an affinity for language); pretty good at calligraphy (again, when I practice!); stamina for bicycling 40+ miles at a whack; beginning knowledge of percussion (through observation, just started studying djembe and living w/a conga player); pretty good understanding of many cultures having traveled and read extensively because I am interested in people of all different types - NOW, that being said, I understand that I do not know what it's like to live inside a person, but my years of interviewing and caring for people of various backgrounds has had its advantages in this area; gardening is also a passion, nowhere near an expert, but learning and growing with each season; a passable knowledge of home repair, thanks to my home repair expert partner; I am a decent amateur photographer; I have become adept at thinking green with a compost box and a freezer full of scraps that I make into stocks and stews and I think I have pretty good business sense having run a small business for years (I stepped back to middle management, I like that better).

So, the question remains, how do I put what I know to use in writing a book? Do I even want to write a book? Does my voice lend itself to commerce? Questions to ponder as I wait for the apple cake to cool ...