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Thursday 27 May 2010

Taking Your Time and Slowing Down

Today I baked a cake.  I used a different recipe from normal which I found here.  I followed the recipe exactly (except for using three medium eggs instead of two large eggs) and it took a lot longer than usual.  A cake usually takes me only 10 minutes to whip up before putting it in the oven but today I wanted to see what would happen if I took longer over the whole process.  It probably won't surprise you that this cake is a lot better than anything I've baked before (ok, except my chocolate butterfly cakes - they really are awesome).  I spent a little extra time and not only did I get something much better out of it, I also found that I enjoyed the experience much more.

I think in our modern hectic lifestyles we often forget how beneficial slowing down can actually be.  We think we don't have time to stop and actually enjoy that cup of tea or we shove food straight from the freezer into the oven without taking the time to enjoy the experience and sensations of cooking a dinner from scratch.  I understand that you probably don't have time to do that everyday but why not just once a week?  My M.E. has forced me to slow down and appreciate everything that I'm able to do but it is the stress and rushing about that makes me worse.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone so I'm begging you to just take a minute.  Right now.  Close your eyes for one whole minute (set a timer) and just breathe.  Nothing else.  Just breathe.

I mean right now.

If you did that don't you feel so much more prepared to take on the day/night?  Taking 'me' time is important and should never be left to last as it is the only way to truly appreciate everything in this life and give you the ability and energy to get through your entire life.

And now, for those of you who did the exercise (if you didn't, you could do it now) here's some pictures of my fabulous cake I baked.

5 comments:

Kess said...

Mmmmm! Your cake looks delicious! Glad you enjoyed the experience. I will definitely take a leaf out of your book next time I do some cooking, baking, or anything else for that matter! x

Anonymous said...

That cake looks SO yummy! I'll have to try it some time!

HG said...

I know what you mean. I was raised by a single mother who worked long hours. But e-v-e-r-y evening we had a home cooked meal, which we kids would all help with the preparation. It wasn't until I had a job with crazy non-consistant hours that made me realize just how important taking an extra bit effort and time really was. It definitely helps the mind and spirit. I know far too many people that all they do is run, run, run until the day is over... I enjoy life too much to rush through it all.

That cake looks like it tastes AMAZING by the way!

Unknown said...

Thanks everyone and yes the cake did taste amazing but unfortunately didn't go very far (Chris and I ate it in 2 sittings) so next time I'm definitely going to use more mixture (probably times the amounts by 1.5 or maybe even double it). Still think it could have been improved though - so I will continue my search and experiments for the perfect cake.

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

That cake looks fantastic.

I'm not always the greatest at taking things slow. But one thing I really enjoy is cooking. I try to take the time to cook something from scratch four times a week. The funny thing is, it usually makes enough food for us to eat the leftovers the other three days. I find it so refreshing!