The Power of Small Moments
Why are people suddenly baking?
That was a question that came up a lot in conversation with family and friends, as we looked around at grocery stores and couldn’t find a bag of flour of a packet of years anywhere. What’s with the bread making?
I decided, of course, that I was not part of this group bread making drive since I have made bread in the past. Not for years though. And not in the quantity I have in the past four months or so.
I’ve made French bread, bread sticks, Hawaiian sweet rolls, dinner rolls, Irish Soda Bread (when I couldn’t find yeast!), flat bread, naan…
I’ve baked a lot.
I’ve also made passion fruit curd, pavlova, countless cakes, many frostings, cookies, copycat Chick Fil A, tamale pie, Australian meat pie, excessive cheese boards…
You get the idea.
I’ve always liked cooking, but usually, I don’t make a lot of time for it unless it’s a holiday. But I like to host things, and I like to make things. For me, cooking is creative. In the same way knitting and writing is.
So why, during the lockdown, during this uncertain time, are people baking bread?
I think there are a few reasons. I know for me some of it was about sinking into home. Making home feel special. My kids’ schools closed in early March, and they’ve been home pretty much every day since, barring the odd hike here and there. So the idea that we needed to make home something special played a part. (probably more for myself than for them, kids are resilient, and watching them during these months has really driven that home. They’re great at taking what the world throws at them and just catching it).
Mostly, I think it’s about moments. About Mindfulness. Mindfulness in a therapeutic sense is defined as: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
As someone who has an anxious personality, especially connected with travel, this is something I’ve been working on for a while.
Jackie Ashenden, a fellow author, told me once that anxiety is worrying about things that aren’t happening. I was explaining my flight anxiety to her and she said: but all those things aren’t happening now. So be in the moment. Where nothing bad is happening. She also told me to curl my toes in my shoes to ground myself in my body. Sounds weird, but it works. I think that’s on Die Hard. Which is just another reason that movie is brilliant.
I’m lucky to have two author friends who are pretty expert in anxiety and techniques to handle it. Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews is a great breathing coach. She’s also my knitting guru.
I started knitting about a year and a half ago when Megan put yarn and knitting needs in my hand during a particularly stressful time in my personal life. There are a few things about it that I love. One is that I can’t be on the internet and knit. It’s forced disconnection from that electronic overlord. It’s also something that forces you to be in the moment.
I’ve found that focused on the moment I’m in, and on the task I’m engaged in has been the most effective way to cope with anxiety and in general to have a better sense of well being.
Getting lost in small moments – kneading bread dough, knitting, staring at the sunset – and just being wholly in that moment can give a sense of clarity even when the world is chaotic. Even when the next moment is unknown.
I think that’s why people are baking bread.
Also, bread is delicious. So that’s probably another reason.
What brings you small moments of joy? Have you done things differently or the same these past few months?
