Ever had a goal you've worked towards for years?  I’ve had this goal a long time:  winning a ribbon in every category of pie at the NM State Fair Pie contest.

There’s a fine line between nervous and excited.  It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and my heart had been pounding for hours.  My mouth was dry, dry, dry – in spite of drinking two liters of water -- and my knee was bouncing up and down, up and down. 

It was yesterday at the NM State Fair Pie Contest.  Judging had started almost 2 hours earlier and they had worked their way to the final two categories:  “Other Pies” and “Tart.”  I was entered in both.  Friends (Linda and Kristen) kept me grounded and reminded me to breathe.

The “Other Pies” category was competitive, with entries from some of the best bakers in the state.  I had entered a new creation, “Pie Pops,” and hoped the judges would welcome something outside the box.  These were individual slices of pie on popsicle sticks!  (More on that in an upcoming Deep Dish.)  When the judges announced that they took third place, I slumped in disappointment.  I’d put so much work into those!

Finally, two  judges pondered the tarts. Again, experience bakers had entered more tarts this year than ever before.  Back and forth they went, tasting, talking between themselves, tasting again.  They especially doted on a coconut creation – glossy and glorious – and a fresh blueberry tart.  Back and forth.  They tasted mine again, the Midnight Mandarin (dark chocolate mousse laced with candied orange zest & sea salt).  Would I finally win a blue ribbon in the tart category?  The one blue ribbon that’s been elusive out of the 16 categories at the pie contest?

The blueberry tart took third, the coconut took second, and yes! -- mine took the first place prize.  One of the judges declared it “a piece of exquisiteness” and a blue ribbon was draped on top.  Finally, mission accomplished! 

Then, to put my delight over the top, the Midnight Mandarin Tart was declared “Best of Show!”  I’ve been giddy with the joy of it ever since. 

Yes, pie is nearly trivial when embassies are burning, the Earth is warming and people are hungry.  But standing in the shade, sharing pie – apple, blueberry, chocolate, butterscotch, pecan and raspberry -- with other bakers and their friends after the contest, for a few minutes life was very good.  And that’s no small thing. 

What are you dreaming up lately?

Our creative juices:  peachy!  OK, that’s corny, and it’s true.  Sweet juices dripping from ripe peaches are part of what make a peach pie so good.  But how about your personal creative juices?  What makes them flow for you? 

We’re all gifted in something.  Each of us has things we love to do that are creative – from gardening in your own yard to organizing a community garden, or raising healthy children,  writing poetry, teaching at the community college, making a pie from scratch, playing an instrument, leading productive meetings, being an athlete, or making a video.  Our gifts are whatever absorbs us, takes our complete attention for a while, makes us feel alive and successful – regardless of what anyone else says about what we’re doing.

What situations encourage you to be creative?  What environment do you want or need to support being creative?  Please share your ideas and thoughts with the rest of us!  I’ll post what people are saying if you’ll send your version of what supports your creative juices to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Sept. 15^th.

There can be a tension around being creative, especially when we’re doing something new or when we put expectations on ourselves about the outcome. 

The truth:  I’m nervous about the pie contest, which is coming up Sept. 18^th here in NM.  It’s that time when I literally dream about pie.  The other night it was an upside-down candied orange pie.

Pie comes up when I meditate.  It comes up when I’m walking in the neighborhood. In conversation.  In a hardware store.  Yikes!  There’s no escaping the tension and attention of pie right now in my life.

And there is a fun part to all of this:  the creativity.  Ideas come popping in and they play well with one another, running this way and that, jumping and whistling to get attention, like kids with the answer, waving their hands to be called upon in class.

So, tell me what it is that grabs your attention, that wants to be created, and what supports that.  I think the world needs lots of creativity now, wrapped in fun and good humor, to see us through challenging times.  We need things that unite us, like art, gardens, music, words written and spoken, and pie.  Always pie!

Rebecca Jo Dakota

©2012