Revelations

Tonight I decided to use up the turkey broth sitting in my fridge and make some soup. I also decided to make some homemade noodles to go with it. I'd never made homemade noodles before, but I got out the cookbook, read the instructions, and made some tasty noodles. As I was in the middle of cooking them, I suddenly realized that I was doing something I'd never done before. And I wasn't freaking out about it or anything. There are so many times in my life when I think "I can't do this" or "I don't know what to do because I've never done this before." And yet I have full confidence that I can pick up a cookbook, read through a recipe, and make something. When it comes to cooking I also don't put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect (most of the time); I'm OK with experimenting and even making mistakes. I'm not like that in many other areas of my life. I imagine a lot of it comes with simple practice. I've been cooking for about twenty years of my life, and for at least ten I've had sole responsibility for preparing all my meals. Even if I haven't made a particular recipe before, I have a basic idea of what to do and what to expect. I think in other areas of my life I need to have more faith in my ability to figure things out and build on my previous knowledge.

I also found myself noting the step in the recipe that said to let the dough rest. Often in the past I've rushed through the steps and not given the dough sufficient time to rest. However I've recently discovered that resting is important step in the process and gives the gluten time to relax. It's actually easier to shape the dough when you've let it rest for a while. I think I need to take more time in my own life to rest, ponder, relax, and let things work in my brain before speaking or acting.

Just a few little thoughts I had tonight while cooking. I love it when I get a chance to just relax in the kitchen (without my "helpers") and let my mind wander. My brain is also a little full today because I just got a new calling to the primary presidency (surprise!), and even though I felt strong promptings to take the calling I still feel kind of overwhelmed. Maybe some of the thoughts I had tonight will help me out with this.