A Quiet Reminder from the Kitchen

Staying Present in the Rise

This week will be the biggest bake week I have experienced since beginning my sourdough journey.

And what a journey it has been.

When I look back over the past year, I can see how each step appeared at just the right time. Opportunities arrived that I never planned. Doors opened that I didn’t even know existed. I have come to believe that when something is placed directly in front of me, it is often God gently showing me the path forward.

Still, knowing that doesn’t mean the human part of me doesn’t feel overwhelmed.

May 9th sits on my calendar like a bright marker on the horizon. My first farmers market. The beginning of something new. If I am honest, the excitement walks right alongside anxiety.

Today I was preparing for the week ahead. Feeding starter. Setting menus. Writing out timelines. Trying to organize the rhythm of the days to come.

And then something familiar happened.

I started making small mistakes.

As I measured filtered water into a bowl for bagel dough, my mind wandered ahead. I began imagining the market, the setup, the customers, the unknowns. My thoughts were no longer in my kitchen. They were racing somewhere in the future.

Future tripping is an old habit of mine. It is a voice that sometimes shows up when something important is about to happen. It whispers questions and worries, trying to solve problems that do not yet exist.

As the water continued to pour, it flowed right over the edge of the bowl and onto the counter.

That snapped me back into the present.

I stopped what I was doing and stepped away from the counter. I closed my eyes and asked God to intervene.

And then, quietly, the words came.

Breathe.
Slow down.
Trust the process.
Trust Me.

Almost immediately a calm settled over me.

It reminded me of something sourdough teaches every single day. Nothing meaningful happens when we rush the process. Bread rises in its own time. The baker’s role is simply to tend it with patience and care.

Measure.
Mix.
Fold.
Wait.

Life is not so different.

When our minds race too far ahead, we lose the moment we are standing in. But when we return to the present, something steadier takes over.

Peace lives there.

So tonight I am reminding myself of something simple. And maybe someone reading this needs the reminder too.

Breathe.

Slow down.

Stay where your feet are.

Trust the process.

The same God who placed the path in front of you will walk it with you.

And in time, just like the dough resting quietly on the counter, everything will rise exactly as it is meant to.

Warmly,
Kathy
Art of The Crumb