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!
One of the greatest challenges people face when trying to... Read More
To realize that you determine the outcome of your own... Read More
Jim Rohn wrote in his book The Five Major Pieces... Read More
Hold a "progressive" goal party If you have a group... Read More
Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone have recently hosted a... Read More
The secrets of our body language have been around forever... Read More
You can be a master achiever by developing the same... Read More
Back in my early marketing days, finding the magic ticket... Read More
Jobs are heating up. We're all feeling the pinch of... Read More
"When I think back on all the crap I learned... Read More
Have you failed before and wished the earth could open... Read More
Thomas Edison wrote his quote " I have not failed,... Read More
Q: Are you a success?A: Its all in how you... Read More
Today I am going to tell you the #1 secret... Read More
You have been preparing for months. You are in position... Read More
Imagine being firmly committed to your deepest ambitions. Imagine feeling... Read More
Step 1 ? Learn a powerful key to increase financial... Read More
We all want something to look forward to. The best... Read More
1. Believe in yourself and what it is you do.... Read More
Jack Nichlaus was asked if there are really talented golfers... Read More
Self-improvement; A great deal has been written on the subject,... Read More
I receive several emails every week asking me about how... Read More
It was one of the worst periods of time in... Read More
This morning, on TV, I was amazed to see how... Read More
Many people ask me how they can be more successful.The... Read More
on demand house cleaning Lake Forest ..Both the worst and the best of the great achievers... Read More
If you want to make more of your talents -... Read More
Few books have impacted my perspective on human psychologically and... Read More
A young girl opens a birthday card from her grand... Read More
Jobs are heating up. We're all feeling the pinch of... Read More
The start of a new year is a good time... Read More
What do you need to do to be successful? If... Read More
"Things might have been worse"This is the most powerful, dynamic,... Read More
Everything we have in life is because of the help... Read More
1. Differentiate yourself using a Personal Value Proposition. A PVP... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
The ability to make good decisions is an essential step... Read More
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, was over fifty when... Read More
In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down and the... Read More
We all want to improve our top line - our... Read More
(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)Wouldn't... Read More
Have you ever heard of the "secrets of success"? Many... Read More
Creating a goal tracking chart is as simple as drawing... Read More
Most people want to be successful in life. But success... Read More
Abundance is intangible, spiritual and attracts energy. To attract this... Read More
"If you think you can or you think you can't... Read More
Let me ask you a question? What must happen for... Read More
Overnight success seems to be happening to a lot of... Read More
Noted author and self-worth teacher Eric Butterworth* says, "Poverty is... Read More
Material or physical success is often measured by the level... Read More
Success |