There are no two greater ironic comparisons than that of a biscuit and life. For over two decades, I'd feverishly tried to bake biscuits. Being a baking 'connoisseur,' I was quite disheartened that I could easily knead & bake home-made yeast, cinnamon rolls and croissants - but try as I did, I could never grasp the technique of making southern-baked biscuits. Regardless whether I used the quick mix or home-made recipe kind, somehow my biscuits either came out of the oven with the texture of mortar, fell apart like charcoal briquettes or tasted like salty play-doh. In any event, it was my solemn quest to bake these tasty breakfast breads some time before I die.
It was almost embarrassing whenever I would makes the Shoney's type breakfasts without the biscuits. While my kids were small, they pined for the buttery taste of home-baked biscuits...of course that never happened. I did attempt to make them countless times, but each time I retrieved them from the oven, they got harder and harder. At one point, I even thought about marketing them as indestructible bricks for housing contractors. But my family was fairly nice to me. They would 'try' them from time to time, and in most cases, nearly chipped their teeth.
I would excuse myself for the poorly-made biscuits by stating, "...I simply don't have enough Southern blood in me..." And that was that. But, I still had this innate and sick compelling drive to create the ultimate biscuit. I could do everything else, why the heck couldn't I bake a silly biscuit??? It was then that I went to visit my Aunt in Tennessee who baked the most wonderful, breathtaking, mouthwatering biscuits. And she did it so easily. I was silently amazed by the ease of her fascinating maneuvers. My kids, hubby and I sat down to eat her fabulous biscuits and gravy - and they were better than good. Then my son piped up, "...why can't you make these biscuits, Mom?" And as usual, I told him that I just wasn't 'southern' enough.
Curiosity got the best of me though, as I pulled my aunt aside and asked her, "How did you get those biscuits to turn out so good?" She explained that all she used was butter-flavored Crisco, some milk, salt, baking powder and flour. "Huh?" That just could not be. These were the exact same ingredients I had been using for over two decades. This was just not possible. Then she filled me in on a little secret: "It's the flour sifter. I have to use a flour sifter to get the flour to be lighter." Filled with the new information, I was devastated. A stupid flour sifter did all that??
So what did I do? I continued at my attempts at making biscuits my conventional way...which always ended in complete disaster. Finally, the other day, I broke down and bought a flour sifter. A small, can-shaped mechanism that turned flour through a sieve. I used all the same ingredients once again. This time I was smarter though - I only made half a batch just in case they didn't turn out. No need to waste good ingredients, I thought. Funny thing was that when I patted down the dough, it felt lighter, silkier and bigger. Okay, it's just a glitch, I thought again, there was no way on earth that these biscuits would turn out right.
Next, I cut them into rounded shapes (like before) and placed them on an ungreased baking sheet. Whew! I felt like a school girl taking her final exam to pass class. Setting the timer for 10 minutes, I constantly went back and forth to check these obviously mal-attempted biscuits. When the buzzer beeped, I retrieved the baked goods. They had actually risen... and they didn't weigh a ton either. Something had to be wrong with them though...afterall, I had baked them. Now came the taste test...fluffy, flaky, tasty. Viola! I had baked a batch of biscuits that were actually edible. I couldn't believe it myself.
It was then that I had a sudden realization. All the years I had tried to bake the perfect biscuit, I had all the right ingredients, but I didn't have the right tool to accommodate the final product. The sad part was that the tool was there all along, I just had to go out, get it and use it. And it was that enlightening moment that I also realized that biscuits can teach a person about life. We all have the right ingredients to achieve our goals in life, but sometimes if we aren't using the appropriate tools, we set ourselves up for failure. Thus, when we utilize tools that are virtually always with us - such as logic, faith, commitment, hope and so much more, then we ultimately can attain our life's fulfillment. Is life like baking a biscuit? Maybe not exactly, but it surely can make one see the sweet irony of this simple metaphor.
? How a Biscuit Taught Me a Priceless Lesson in Life
C. Bailey-Lloyd
aka. LadyCamelot
Public Relations' Director & Staff Writer for holistic junction - Your Source for information on holistic junction, Holistic Practitioners, Alternative Health, Insightful literature and more!
"In a moment of decision, the best thing you can... Read More
An old fable tells about a religious man and a... Read More
Business knowledge and skills are not the only keys to... Read More
One of the greatest compliments I ever received in my... Read More
Are you successful? What does that word mean to you?... Read More
Many people consider reading books a waste of time. It... Read More
This is a little primer on how to start, survive... Read More
Here are 10 of 26 proven strategies gleaned from interviews... Read More
A number of years ago, I had the rather unique... Read More
Find a higher reason to reach your goal than just... Read More
Success! Easy to talk about, but difficult to achieve. Or... Read More
"You will be the same person in five years except... Read More
You have probably heard the term "IQ" many times, and... Read More
On March 27th 2005, Oxford won the annual boat race... Read More
As a child you probably learned failing is bad...Failing meant... Read More
Australians are loosing their laidback, carefree reputation, as we continue... Read More
I confess, I love westerns. There is nothing like those... Read More
What is a champion really? Sure, all success oriented people... Read More
Arsenal Football Club were the Champions of the Premier league... Read More
Of course by now we are all becoming aware of... Read More
Thoughts are very powerful. An intention held long and hard... Read More
Our thought are magnetic ! Like a magnet we attract... Read More
How many times have you thought about being successful, famous,... Read More
All too often, we push ourselves past the limits of... Read More
I am constantly approached by people when I am speaking... Read More
home cleaning services Wilmette ..Two Immigrants Live The American DreamSome may call it a... Read More
Picture this scene: Little Johnny's mother places a large piece... Read More
Dr. Deepak Chopra is a well-known author of more than... Read More
Trust is a cornerstone of human existence. It is interesting... Read More
-- The One Pager Shortcut Series --What are the sharpest... Read More
Conditions differ from circumstances. Circumstances are changeable conditions which merely... Read More
Whenever we have a bad experience or we own up... Read More
Before we can unlock human potential, we need to know... Read More
Okay, so you've finally made that big decision to start... Read More
Plants of all kinds (including trees), herbs and roots have... Read More
Hi, Jim Rohn here. This month we focus on accelerating... Read More
In terms of life success, there are four pretty obvious... Read More
"What a week!" you say at the end of a... Read More
We all want success in life. We want success in... Read More
The story that is being used to illustrate the concepts... Read More
People often ask me how I became successful in that... Read More
Money will buy me a house, but not a home,... Read More
Step 1 ? Learn a powerful key to increase financial... Read More
Congratulations! You are the president of your own nation, and... Read More
Jack Nichlaus was asked if there are really talented golfers... Read More
It's simple and powerful.The philosophy of successful people is often... Read More
Napoleon Hill, the famous inspirational writer, once met a reader... Read More
How many of you have ever thought about the link... Read More
We all know as we are progressing towards our personal... Read More
Is it difficult to be professional?I think from my experience... Read More
Success |