#334: Fiddling

I really love this note from Sasha. It reminded me of what Muayyad shared with me months ago in regards to how meaningful it can be to simply set aside some time to do something that is hands-on and creative. He said, "Making something is one of the most soothing things you can do... It could be a sandwich or soup or some music – anything that puts some power into your hands when you’re feeling out of control."  I realized that, as Sasha mentioned in terms of usually having back to back agendas on the daily, it's sometimes difficult to find the time to make something completely from scratch and feel in full control. It makes me wonder how I choose to spend my pastimes. And how those personal endeavors may become even more fun and satisfying if they turn into a bit of an ongoing experiment. Thank you for sharing this, Sasha. It was a delightful read, and not just because I absolutely love a good sourdough! 

- Amanda

Fiddling

I’ve written more than 1,200 posts on this blog over the last 14 years. It’s become part of my life, and I can’t help but inquire what the practice brings to me.

I wrote about this in 2009, with a list of 44 Reasons I Blog (my current favorite from that list is number 27, “I’m a little compulsive.” You don’t say….)

My addition to this list, a 45th reason, has to do with “fiddling.”

As in: here’s something that’s just a thought, let’s see how it comes out with a bit of attention and effort.

It’s the same feeling I have when making a loaf of sourdough, something I (along with so many others) learned to do during the pandemic. A week ago I had a disastrous bread outcome, sad enough that we dumped the two brick-like loaves into the trash. The fault was my neglected starter, which I fiddled with over the course of the last week, nursing it back to health.

But even so, how the bread is going to come out remains a bit uncertain and a bit of a mystery. And that feeling, that un-knowing that is part of this small act of creating something from nothing, is what I find so satisfying.

It came out great this week.

I just switched over to setting my oven to Convection Bake (my wife’s suggestion) – now they’re much more golden and crispy!

In a life full of big obligations, a back-to-back schedule, and a reasonably rigorous approach to even my pastimes (see above re: “a little bit compulsive”), creating something that is quick, light, and fun brings me a dollop of joy that has nothing to do with having two fresh loaves of bread.

“Look, I made this, isn’t it beautiful?” makes everything else a little better.

Speaking of which, happy Generosity Day.

The post Fiddling appeared first on Sasha Dichter's Blog.