Life Lessons from a Homemade Sourdough Starter by Judith Stoletzky

Author:Judith Stoletzky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tiller Press
Published: 2021-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Slowing Down Opens the Eyes

Had I traveled hastily to my baking class in an automobile, a human accelerator, I would not have noticed that the sound of beeches rustling is different from that of oaks. I would never have seen the withered signpost pointing leisurely wanderers to Murder Rock. I would have overlooked the overgrown path to the mysterious Seven Acids, and would definitely have missed the little birdhouse with the big red star standing in the wheat field, housing a Marxist-Leninist chickless chickadee couple.

Had I walked very quickly, which is my usual habit, the hike would have taken only an hour. But having read Rilke, I had learned about patience, in life and in baking. So, I put myself in the shoes of an airy focaccia dough and allowed myself to take a little longer. Experimenting with my walking speed led to an important insight: taking it slow is good! Not only for dough but also for humans. We need to find our own, individual speed in life. The pace we walk is the pace we should choose for most everything else we do. If we hurry and rush, we will make ourselves anxious—ourselves and those around us. It’s as if we put ourselves in alarm mode.

However, if we reduce our speed even minimally from an average of five feet per second to four feet per second, we welcome ease and maximize well-being. If your natural speed is already a snail’s pace, please beware! Here, too, there are similarities between doughs and humans. Each needs some body tension and a willingness to grow. Without that, we will not get anywhere.

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