22: The joy of little things

In hindsight, 2020 has been a humbling year. It shook up all we take for granted and turned it on it’s head. While I may wish to wipe out the trials, frustrations, losses and despair from our memory – I would still say it’s a year that must be remembered. After all, it did bring the restless world to a standstill.

With the initial hysteria and fear of the unknown, I found it difficult and disorienting to withdraw from the bustle of the outside world to the quiet stillness of the boundaries of my home. Nonetheless, waking up each morning to the smell of tart lime in my water and the full bodied aroma of coffee was an exercise in gratitude for me. If I could taste and smell – I was well! Who knew that a tiny unseen microbe would put us back in touch with that which really matters – family, friends and freedom.

Housebound and surrounded by a daily mountain of chores, I chose to keep my sanity by finding joy in little things. Daughter’s daunting virtual school schedule and the husband’s work from the dining table routine give a mooring to the drifting endlessness of days.

While the virus ruled the world, I spent long hours getting to know microbes of another variety—those that are not cultured in a lab to destroy but those that have run wild for centuries and added value to the bread we eat. I took to making “real bread“ or sourdough bread. The age-old skill of making naturally leavened breads while using only flour, water, salt and the magic of natural wild yeast (starter).

The process is long drawn and the wild yeast is temperamental. The challenge of taming this unpredictable beast is what kept me going. The rhythmic mixing of the dough and the kneading, folding, stretching, resting and waiting for the magic to unfold gave a calming, therapeutic cadence to my days of experimentation. I dreamt of patterns I would score or slash on my next loaf, boule, batard… my vocabulary expanded. The meditativeness of repeated kneading gave me time for introspection, the moodiness of the starter kept me invested and engaged. The appreciation from friends and family brought much-needed joy and healed my soul.

The takeaway from this year – acceptance of one’s circumstances is the first step to find ways and means to cope with them. Most importantly, there is a world of joy to be discovered in little things.

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