One thing at a time

“There is a reason God limits our days. Why? To make each one precious.” Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper

As I age, I find that multitasking is becoming increasingly difficult if it was ever truly possible. Can I really do more than one thing at a time and do it well? Can I be present, aware of my choices and the people around me when I divide my attention among multiple tasks?

I recently got a very messy answer to that question. I was making a new chocolate sheet cake recipe and chatting with Irv when my cell phone pinged – a text message. After reading and responding to the text, I stood over the mixing bowl, unable to remember if I had put two tablespoons of baking soda in the batter. To be safe, I added them.

The reality of my mistake became clear as the cake bubbled over the sides of the pan, coating the oven floor in thick chocolate goop. I tasted some of the drippings, and they were sour! The entire mess wound up in the trash. I had to start all over with new batter…and clean the oven.

Trying to save time, I hadn’t found joy in just one activity. My attempt to multitask had created more work and frustration. As Albom says, “Everything man does today to be efficient, to fill the hour? It does not satisfy. It only makes him hungry to do more.” 

As I beat the second batch of batter, I mentally beat myself up for the waste of time, electricity to heat the oven and a dozen ingredients, including my diminishing supply of baking soda that my lack of attention had caused! I have a strong tendency to perseverate about what I do wrong, and this kitchen catastrophe was no exception. Again, Albom’s words advised with what I hope will become a new mantra, “The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence.” 

I reached a bechirah (choice) point, I could continue to chastise myself or I could move forward, engaged in making the second cake with love and attention. I stayed present and focused on enjoying each step of the baking process. I concentrated on beating the eggs, adding the cocoa powder, and watching the batter turn from yellow to brown. After I measured each ingredient into the mixture, I set it aside on another part of the counter. No double baking soda this time! The result was attractive and tasty.

The cake was meant to be a gesture of generosity; I made it for a synagogue luncheon. In The Time Keeper, Albom explores how we express generosity by gifting our time to others to show love, to nurture connections and to grow relationships. It made me appreciate that cooking for others is as much a gift of time as it is of food. Rather than repeat the cake disaster, in the future I will try to apply the lesson I learned, to find joy in the process as well as the result rather than rushing to check one more task off my to-do list.

As the new year unfolds, and I am not getting any younger, each day becomes more precious. I can’t afford to waste time by trying to “save” it just as I can’t afford to waste cake ingredients. So, it’s one thing at a time for me, savoring every moment.

“We can't control the passing of time, but we can control how we spend it,” Mitch Albom.