Finding Inspiration

I keep a manila file in one of my kitchen drawers filled with recipes. Some are hand written, some are torn from magazine pages or now, more recently, some are printed off the web. Whenever I pull out that file and sort through the pages, I feel a sense of coming home. These pages are old friends.

My sister loved Better Homes and Gardens magazine and got herself a subscription when she was turning twelve, barely in 7th grade. It was a rather odd choice for a young girl, but my sister loved the magazine’s beautiful rooms, craft ideas and recipes. I was away at college and newly married when she came for a visit bringing with her the November 1978 issue.

I already had a reputation as a good baker in my family, but my most celebrated creation was always my bread. I loved making bread because I enjoyed kneading the dough and feeling the silky, elastic texture as the gluten was worked. I had a huge white porcelain bowl rimmed in azure blue, the size of a small wash basin. It was perfect for mixing up the dough and letting it rise once properly oiled or buttered. I’d put a clean, damp linen towel over the dough to keep it moist, and then I’d set it in a dark place for rising.

Knowing all this, my sister was excited bringing me this particular Better Homes and Gardens issue. The issue featured a story about a fifteen year old boy with the same passion for baking bread that I had. He even had a big porcelain bowl similar to mine. But this teenage boy was already an entrepreneur. He came home from school, baked his loaves, and delivered neighborhood orders on his bike.

Most inspiring of all were pictures of his pinwheel bread, a luscious creation of whole wheat and white bread dough rolled together delivering a beautiful pinwheel when sliced. It was pure artistry. But even more inspiring for me was the size of loaf. It looked to be a good eight inches in height, full, firmly rounded and lush. Just looking at it made me feel abundant, wanting to share it with family around a big farmhouse table.

I saved that article in my little manila folder, looking at it often, and baking my own pinwheel bread whenever I had the chance. Eight years later, that article became a big part of the motivation in opening up our bakery and fulfilling one of my dreams.

When asked, many of us can’t answer what it is that inspires us. We seem to have a pretty good idea about what it is that we don’t like, but the things that make our hearts and spirits sing often appear vague and distanced.

With so many careers in a state of flux right now, this is an excellent time for each of us to recognize our inspiration and share tips. As strange as it might sound, we often don’t take the time to make our own acquaintance. What is that we look forward to each day? Who do we admire? When would someone catch us smiling gently or laughing in wild abandon? What are we doing when we look up and realize we’ve forgotten the time? What makes us feel relaxed and satisfied? What is your favorite picture? What do you like best about your home? We are surrounded each day by tiny bits of inspiration, each floating by like wispy dandelion seeds. We just forget to notice how they make us feel.

I sold the bakery years ago but I still have that now yellowed article on the teenage bread baker. It still encourages me and sparks my imagination. I realize that wherever my path takes me, I can and do follow my dreams. Do you have a little manila folder tucked away in a drawer somewhere? I’d be willing to bet you do and it’s probably somewhere in plain sight. It’s just waiting for you to notice.