What’s a picnic without potato salad? Jazz up your vegan picnic with this Hawaiian-inspired purple sweet potato salad!

It’s been over a year since my internship in Hawaii, and I learned 7 important life lessons during my time there. One of which is that having no plan is sometimes a good plan. Or phrased differently, you cannot be disappointed if you don’t have expectations. It’s not that expectations are bad, heck, in many cases they are necessary! But being too stiff with expectations can hinder us from living life to the fullest. I was reminded of this lesson when I came across this quote recently:

Don’t be so cool you can’t cry,

So smart you can’t wonder,

So set on your sunny days that you can’t love the roll of thunder.

Reality has come to smack me in the face again.

Learning to love rain (or thunder)

The last line in that quote really hit me hard, like a backhanded slap. I really love sunny days because that means I can prance around outside. Outdoor activities are so much easier and more enjoyable when the sun is out. It is not a bad thing to enjoy getting my vitamin D, but it can become a problem when I get moody because the weather suddenly decides to not cooperate. I become anxious when I see rain in the forecast for days I know I need to be outside hiking or camping, like our recent camping trip to Garibaldi Provincial Park. I booked this trip 4 months ago, as tent pads and permits are highly sought after. The forecast predicted that the month-long heat wave would end with two days of rain; of course the two days we’re gone camping! Why must Mother Nature ruin my adventures? What a waste of energy, ascending 1800 metres just to see nothing!

As a side note: after earnestly praying for dry weather (as I often do before trips) the forecast did end up shifting and we got splendid weather during our trip! #blessed The heat wave decided to stick around for a little while longer, and I’m not complaining!

This kind of pessimistic lens is really detrimental to feeling happy. Instead of worrying about the potential of poor weather prior to departure, I could be feeling excited for the upcoming adventure. If I arrive at the trailhead stubbornly thinking that today will be miserable because we’re hiking in the rain, then I will never notice the moments that are lovely despite the unpleasant weather. The fact that I get to spend time and chat and laugh with my favourite people. As emerging adults, we’re often so swamped with work and school that it is rare to meet up for more than an hour or two. Or how about the refreshing smell of the dewy forest that can clear my lungs of the city exhaust I inhale too much of. Once my demand for sunshine is dissolved, I can be grateful for the coolness of rainfall (I’ve still got a ways to go before I learn to love thunder when I’m stuck outside). It is fine to have expectations, so long as we don’t mentally clench onto them so tight that we do not have the brain capacity to appreciate other things. This lesson also applies to many more situations beyond hiking.

How does a control freak relinquish her control?

I’m a big ol’ worry wort, and feeling uncertain about this and that prevents me from experiencing life as it is presented to me. Expectations narrow my focus onto the few things I am most anxious about, and kind of filter out the rest. When my brain is churning with these thoughts and worries, I do not act 100% like myself. I live with my head in a storm cloud of worries instead of being present. Not only do my expectations affect my own experiences, but the others’ experiences with me as well. This is best illustrated with making new friends.

For my whole life, I’ve been the type of person who has a small group of close (very close) friends. They said your vibe attracts your tribe so members of my ‘tribe’ share similar personality traits. We’ve also known each other for many years; we know each others’ history and backgrounds, tendencies and habits. I have no filter when I’m around them; I’m un-apologetically me. This all changes when I’m around people I’m less familiar with and that are different than the type of people I’m used to hanging out with (and I’m sure that’s perfectly normal human behaviour). The assertive, outspoken go-getter my friends know me as suddenly becomes an awkward turtle ready to retreat back into its shell. Of course I want people to enjoy my company, so I act in a way to satisfy whatever expectations I think they may have of me (which likely don’t even exist?!) It’s kind of like a job interview: you exaggerate your strengths and tone down your limitations to get what you want out of the experience. In a job interview case, a job offer and in a networking case, a new friend.

Maintaining this persona becomes incredibly draining, and is really unnatural for me. In the end, people can tell if I’m being me and most of the time feel more comfortable when I am also comfortable. These days, I’m trying to not overthink what I say and to just be myself when I socialize with others. Instead of controlling my every movement and word, I try and allow the friendship to take it’s intended course. If people think I’m weird, so be it. Those that care don’t matter and those that matter don’t care. Bit by bit, I’m relaxing my grip on what I want for my life and let God decide which way life should go.

As a Christian, I remind myself that God is a better author than I could ever be. 10 times out of 10 His story for me is better than anything I could ever fathom. If I can dream it, the reality He has in store for me is even better. It might not be evident initially, but in retrospect it is always superior. It is difficult to believe in the moment because I’m often so certain of what I want that I cannot think outside the box and consider other possibilities.

Ironically, expectations can limit your success

While I was typing up this post, my best friend was wrapping up her business trip and texting me the things she has learned and realized during her trip. Coincidentally, she mentioned how this trip reinforced that loosening her expectations makes room for bigger successes, taking her further than she could ever envision. Without knowing that special opportunities to visit national office would come up, she funneled all her energy into the open doors she knew existed. But it’s like thinking the sky is your limit when you could very well go to the next galaxy. You never know what is out there, so you need to have enough flexibility for change.

To conclude all this blabbering, whether you’re planning an adventure, out and about meeting new people, or working your way up the corporate ladder, stay open-minded and save some wiggle room for the unexpected.

Instead of looking back at the ways life didn’t meet your expectations, you can look at the ways life exceeded your expectations!

Change could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you so allow it to happen.

What does this all have to do with sweet potato salad?

Not much actually. I’ve been doodling my favourite quotes into my new planner and felt compelled to share this one in a blog post. During my exit interview, my boss said that my positive attitude was one of my strengths. This came as a surprise because I don’t typically describe myself as an optimistic person. Introspecting my thoughts and emotions has helped me progress towards a more positive outlook; I think it is totally possible to become more positive. It’s a quote I personally keep at the back of my mind and maybe it will inspire you to approach life a little differently too.

Whether you read my essay or not, I hope you like sweet potato salad! If you’ve never had sweet potato salad, you’re in for a real treat! This one is another recipe inspired by Kimmy’s cooking and I’ve been waiting for the right time to share it. Picnic time is the perfect time!

Sweet potato salad is a great dish to take on a picnic with you because it can be made in advance and enjoyed hot or cold. After we finished snapping all the photos for our Vegan Picnic series, we dug into all five recipes and both Chew and Jaimie agreed that this salad was their favourite dish of them all! Not gonna lie, it doesn’t look like much but it tastes phenomenal! The roasted macadamia nut ‘cream’ makes this side dish super flavourful and unlike the overly mayonnaise-y tubs of potato salad you find at the supermarket. Oh and fresh dill! WE LOVE FRESH DILL, especially with potatoes. Dill tastes good with any type of potato, but for this recipe use purple sweet potatoes. They’re the prettiest!

This potato salad recipe wraps up our Vegan Picnic series (these past 5 weeks have flown by!) and you can find the full menu HERE.