Kathy Hamilton The other day, bored and slightly stir crazy in a way that only the English seem to be capable of during a heat wave that we should bask in, I decided…rather recklessly given the heat, to bake a cake entirely from scratch. In the process, I discovered the pleasure of taking your time over something.
Now, I say discovered, when really I should say re-discovered. However, the semantics of the statement aside, the pleasure of taking your time over something is one of life’s true joys. There’s something decadent about laying aside business in favour of slowly and deliberately creating a single thing.
Often, I feel worried that I am spending my time wrong. That I should make use of the two free days I have a week to rush from pillar to post. Tick a vast swathe of chores from my to-do list. Make time to socialise. Read more books than ever, without taking the time to absorb them. Also, did I mention social media? I should definitely make sure that everyone knows how jam-packed and full of activity my weekend is. Sounds familiar right?
But the pleasure of taking your time over something is directly opposite to this more, more, more attitude that many of us feel pressured to adopt. It says, sure… there are 1001 tasks you could be doing right now but hell, why don’t you spend all afternoon baking this amazing cake?
I don’t mean rushing to the shop to buy a handy cake mix and pre-made buttercream. Although I can vouch for how satisfying it is to “cheat the system” this way! I mean taking your time to measure the plain flour, the baking powder, the vanilla essence. Whisking the eggs and adding them gradually like the recipe states, instead of just throwing them in. Creaming the butter and sugar together until it’s like an angel’s cloud. Then adding just the right amount of cocoa powder to make it sinful. I’m talking about the whole she-bang.
Truly, nothing compares to the deep satisfaction I felt when that cake that I had made from scratch came out of the oven looking perfect. Despite having achieved significantly less with my two hours than I would have if I’d done other things, I have also never felt more productive. It’s funny how it works.
The pleasure of taking your time over something seems wrapped up in an elemental pride in doing a task properly. For me, baking the cake that way allowed me to pour my love of creating tasty things to share with people into something that felt special.
It’s also not something that I can do every single day. Like any treat, its magic is wrapped up in being an occasional thing. On that particular occasion, it was a cake because I love to bake. However, I hope that this lesson I learned is something you can appreciate too. I know that life is hectic sometimes, so it can feel like a revolutionary act to slow down the pace and do something you really love. But I promise you, it’s worth it.
In a recent blog post, I shared my love of Slow Sundays with you. For me, this is a perfect representation of the pleasure of taking your time over something. Reclaiming Sundays as a day to rest and recoup my energies feels like a balm against stress and anxiety. It’s something I’ve grown to cherish and protect. Monday – Saturday can be packed with tasks, chores and to-do lists, but come Sunday it’s a different story. Instead of trying to cram as much in as possible I enjoy waking up slowly, making brunch, listening to a whole album on my record player…this list could go on but none of it is too strenuous! I also use it as a chance to dedicate a full afternoon to something. Like reading, for example, or yes…baking a cake!
I wrote this post because I wanted to share with you this little joy that I have discovered. I also hope that you’ll give the pleasure of taking your time over something a chance, in whichever way appeals to you most. Bask in a glorious bath, take the engine apart and put it back together again (I don’t know if this is a thing, but maybe?!), give yourself an afternoon or a morning or an evening when all you do is something that gives you joy. Go on, you deserve it!
