Beginning

How do you cope with stress? This is a question that I never thought too much about before but, my answer is "not very well." I sit on the couch wallowing in it. This is not only a colossal waste of precious time, it is not fair to my husband or friends, and in recent years, it has increased my waistline.

The last couple of years have been a bit rough on our family. As a result, I have been spending an unusual amount of time on that couch. Granted, we have a very nice, very comfy new couch, but one should not be glued to said couch from the time they walk in the door after work until the time they go to bed. So, recently, my husband very lovingly suggested that I get a hobby. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking how could someone telling you that you need a hobby be loving? Well, he said in the very nicest way possible, and he went on to state that he thought a hobby could be a creative outlet for some of my stress; I could work out some of my depression/aggression/whatever on a piece of art, a drum set or a wad of dough and see that something good could come of it. He thought the hobby could also provide some fulfillment, which I don't find in my job (and that is where we spend most of our lives! But, I digress). How could I not agree?

The problem was that I used to have hobbies, or little projects I worked on here and there, and I got bored with all of them. I could have tried painting again or knitting, but I didn't really feel any of them was going to be right for what this was starting to represent for me. I needed something more satisfying, something entirely for myself, and something that I would enjoy every process and aspect of.

After much careful thought, I decided I wanted to start baking. I have baked in the past, for parties or work potlucks, but never just for the enjoyment of it or for the learning of new techniques. And, there were many parts of baking that I loved: the joy of seeing flour, eggs, milk and sugar forming together to make dough; the joy of seeing a cake or biscuits rise in the oven; the joy of the first bite and the look on other's faces when they try the first bite; and the fact that something you spent time on could produce such joy. They named the cookbook "The Joy of Baking" for a reason, didn't they?

So, my goal is to bake something (cake, biscuits, pie, bread, etc.) at least once a week and to blog about the experience as a way of getting myself off that couch and bringing a bit of baking joy to myself and others. My husband has dutifully promised to help me eat what he can and take to work what he can't. Though, with all this baking and eating, we might have to make some time for some exercising too!

To therapy through baking, or at the very least, becoming a hobbyist baker...Cheers!