Dough
Tsunami
“And
now I understand something so frightening and wonderful—how the mind clings to
the road it knows, rushing through crossroads, sticking like lint to the
familiar.”
Mary
Oliver
You may
remember that I am attempting to change my bread making to gluten free—for myself
and for several friends who have celiac disease. The other day, I attempted to
make blueberry muffins using gluten-free flour. It was a recipe I use all the
time, but I added the required xanthan as well as baking powder to the flour. I
stuck the beaters into the bowl, poured in the milk and turned the mixer on. Instantly,
an unbelievably sticky batter marched up the beaters, right up the shafts and
took over the mixer! It was like watching a dough tsunami. Dough flew off the
beaters and scattered everywhere—all over the countertop and all over me. I managed to
beat most of it back into the bowl with a spatula, filled the muffin tins and flung
them into the hot oven. That stuff rose over the paper cups, across the edges
of the pan and into the bottom of the oven before my very eyes. Like a
conquering army, it occupied my oven without firing a shot.
This is
an example of what not to change! Unless you know what you are doing—which,
clearly, I don’t—then stick to the known path. At least, in the making of
bread. But Mary Oliver is right—as always—about our reluctance to change from
our regular routine. I heard a speaker on the TED stage talk about how one misses
the serendipitous happenings when one sticks to a planned agenda. He said
overplanning is a killer of exciting happenstance and unexpected discovery. He
is right about that, of course. I’ve found many pleasant surprises by getting lost—that
butterfly preserve in Costa Rica comes to mind. Oh, and the cloud forest! That
was beautiful.
In most
circumstances, allow a bit of chance into your life. Give the gods an opportunity to
throw in a bit of whimsy, and perhaps challenge you to rise above and experience
yourself in new and different ways. Just go to the grocery store and find your
bread in a nice package. Smile sweetly and take it home. Trust me. You’ll be
glad you did.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment