Yes! This is my doing! These are indeed MY loaves of fresh homemade bread. I WISH I would have taken a picture of how I found them. I came into the kitchen to wrap my fallen loaves, only to find them face down on the counter. My hubby, bless his wonderful heart, took it upon himself to bake these loaves for me. He then took them out to cool . . . on their heads! . . . . yes, SERIOUSLY! (it's okay, they probably look better because he did that.) But looking at this poor, terrible looking little loaves of fresh homemade goodness, I literally was overcome with the most wonderful feeling . . .
LAUGHTER!!! And it couldn't have happened on a more deserving day.
As I picked up the "upside down" already fallen/sunken-in loaves, I had to chuckle to myself and thought, "Isn't life just like this fallen loaf of bread? It looks terrible but you KNOW it isn't uneatable. It isn't something you would take to a friend as a gift. But you wouldn't hesitate to feed it to someone if they were starving. It still has all the flavor, vitamins and moisture . . . it just looks terrible! Boy, have I felt like this poor loaf of bread today!"
I really didn't plan on having such a rough day; just like the bread hadn't planned on rising 3 times before it got to bake. But that is what life is all about . . . just keep on rising when you fall and make the most of things. I love how this simple loaf of bread has taught me a very deep lesson today.
"STOP COMPARING!! There is ALWAYS tomorrow and you have so much to learn from today!
STOP WORRYING and just KEEP TRYING!"
I don't know that I suffer from actual depression, because I know it starts from somewhere. Finding out what the somewhere or something is (a belief, a standard, an expectation, etc.) that is the real challenge. But until I do find out what it is, I have to deal with the negative emotions that are caused from this mystery "something." But today, I think I nailed one of those thoughts or beliefs down. . . PERFECTIONISM!
Boy have a I struggled with perfectionism in my life. Just when I calm myself down, another bout hits me square in the nose. It just blind-sides me and boy can it knock me out.
Thankfully, this little loaf of bread gave me just the perspective I needed to get through this rough day. It was filled with thoughts of comparing myself to: who I thought I was going to be, the way I thought my children would behave or succeed, the way I would look or act in any given situation, the way I would feel everyday about life and learning. Oh, the list could go on and on. So why bore us all.
The wonderful point to it all is the fact that . . . I stopped! As soon as I saw the fallen, upside-down loaf of bread and turned it right-side up, I KNEW! I knew that life has its ups and downs but this loaf of bread is STILL GOOD! It is STILL EATABLE! It is STILL of GOOD USE to my family. And, it is STILL a CREATION that I made with hope, love and joy!
Sure, it may have turned out looking more like a leftover hunk of mixed cement. But it will feed my family, it gave me a good laugh and it helped put my heart, mind and spirit back into perspective. So . . . if you ever feel like a fallen loaf of bread, guess what??
YOU ARE STILL EVERYTHING WE NEED YOU TO BE!
YOU are loved!
YOU are important!!
And YOU are NOT a waste!
Now . . . go enjoy your day!
Love,
