On late bloomers and second acts

plus a recipe for Hummingbird cake - the perfect birthday treat

Whenever someone asks me what I want for a birthday dinner, I always say “Roast duck and a big gooey cake.”

Julia Child, from Julia Child’s Menu Cookbook

At their best, birthdays are both celebratory and reflective. And, as we get older, it’s not that the birthday cake or the cards and gifts are appreciated less; it’s that the reflective part becomes even more important.

Because it’s very easy, as the age meter ratchets ever higher, to feel a sense of running out of time. No matter that longevity has increased, that 50 is the new 40, that we have more opportunities to reinvent ourselves than ever before. It’s more that the value placed on our experience, empathy, compassion, and ultimately wisdom doesn’t seem to have as much currency in a high-tech, youth-obsessed culture.

So this week, as I celebrate another birthday, and celebrate starting a role in a new industry, I’m reflecting on late bloomers, second acts, and why being a lifelong learner should be more than a tag line on your LinkedIn profile.

The executive function of our brains don’t mature until age 25–and later for some. In fact, our brain’s capabilities peak at different ages. We actually enjoy multiple periods of blooming in our lives.

Rich Karlgaard, author of Late Bloomers: The Hidden Strengths of Learning and Succeeding at Your Own Pace

Look up “late bloomer” and you’ll find a pretty consistent list of people who succeeded late in life. Julia Child (53 when Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published); Colonel Sanders (65 when he started the first Kentucky Fried Chicken); Ray Kroc (who opened the first McDonalds when he was 54); Grandma Moses (who started painting when she was 76). You can read more about these and other late bloomers here.

We hold up these examples because they give us hope: hope that if we haven’t truly found something that fulfills us, fuels us, inspires us by a certain age, it’s not too late.

Honda was 42 years old when he formed the Honda Motor Company in 1948; within 10 years, Honda was the leading motorcycle manufacturer in the world.

But there’s a very important kernel at the heart of these tales that may be missed. What those late bloomers brought to that moment of time was the sum total of their life experience. That accumulated wisdom - the multiple periods of blooming that Karlgaard writes about - add a richness and depth to the moment. And some of the most profound wisdom comes from failing, and learning from the failure.

It reminds me of the very best of Indian cuisine: the sophistication and subtlety of the dish comes from a practiced hand layering spices in an intricate pattern. With practice, and trial and error - wisdom.

(For more from Rich Karlgaard, you can listen to a great podcast here)

You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. 

C.S Lewis

And so, as I reflect on my birthday, I think what we should be focusing on is the art of possibility. Because, no matter the age, our constant blooming can lead us to paths that are both unexpected and incredibly rewarding.

One friend, who just turned 65, has taken up acting after a very successful career in HR. Another, 57, just completed his PhD in a field completely unrelated to his profession. He now has a publishing deal to turn the thesis into a book (and still working). A 60-year old girlfriend has invested in a B+B, where she also has her artist’s studio. And, lest we think that second acts only happen after 50, a family member, at 40, just got his Masters and is now a professor.

As you read this, where are you at? More importantly, what are all of the incredible things you have learned and seen and done to get you there? Late bloomer or second act - it matters not. A very wise friend said to me recently “If you don’t fall on your face, you’re not moving forward.” Just remember the collective wisdom you bring to this day, this moment, will give you enough momentum to pick yourself up and fly, if you let it.

Hummingbird Cake

from Southern Living magazine

serves 10-12

I was captivated by Julia Child’s story in My Life in France - a beautiful memoir full of blooming moments in a life richly lived. Her favourite birthday dinner may well be mine too, and the quote gave birth to the name of my first food blog: Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake. (although I’m more active here these days).

While the duck part of the feast is not a constant, the big gooey cake most certainly is. This old-fashioned cake with the odd list of ingredients is very easy to make, and very delicious. I often make a smaller version (like the one pictured below), using 6-inch baking pans, and use the rest of the batter for a loaf that can be wrapped tightly and frozen.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

2 cups chopped ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Cream Cheese Frosting

2  (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup salted butter, softened

2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To finish the cake

3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted (you can also finely chop the pecans for the cake topping, as I have done here)

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; whisk to incorporate all the ingredients together.

3. Add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans until evenly incorporated through batter.

4. Divide batter evenly among the cake pans.

5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 1 hour.

   Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting:

6. Beat cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth.

7. Gradually add powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

   Assemble Cake:

8. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with one cup of the frosting. Top with second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange pecan halves on top of cake.