Nearly midway through a project, is that when one starts guessing at whether any of it will get done?
I meant for Days 12 and 13 to be days of high writing productivity. I didn’t write a word. Well, not true. I did complete one work-work project that needed my hand in it. All told, though, that’s not what through off my last two days.
The dog had a day-long dental procedure.
It was a beautiful day and I’d been non-athletic for days so I went for a run.
There wasn’t a morsel of food in the house so I went to Whole Foods. And, well, you know how that usually ends.
I was convinced to tack on an extra three hours to my little side job working at a winery, so that became a full day of work.
The Good News
I made pizza. Twice. And if you don’t know it yet (why would you?) making pizza is what lights me up. It gets all the neurons and endorphins and such firing and sparking, leaving me feeling pretty terrific. The first time I used a personal-sized pizza oven—whoa, it truly seemed illegal to feel that good.
That’s a story for the book.
I had to scroll back in my photos to last December to find a pizza pic that is mouthwateringly beautiful. Look for future pizza porn at my other substack, daintydot.substack.com.
I didn’t feel those same tingly feelings this week when I made pizza, but the joy of creating was there. Day 12’s pizza-making process was at home using dough made from my own sourdough starter. Damn, that’s a good crust. Being limited by a 500F oven, though, doesn’t really make that dough shine like it should. That’s when great toppings take over: homemade parsley pesto, roasted mushrooms and onions, goat cheese, one with roasted eggplant (which I had roasted a little too long).
Day 13’s pizzas were made in a professional pizza oven at that part-time job I mentioned previously. Pre-cooked crusts don’t provide that same level of endorphin release, but to see a finished pie with bubbling cheese and sauce is still pretty cool. And there’s the satisfaction that someone will be enjoying what I’ve created.
What Now?
It’s Day 14, and thanks to miserable weather and a pup still somewhat groggy from dental surgery, I’m putting my head down to write.
I can ask, “What now?” of you, too. Is there anything you’re working on this month that will help you get to a more sustained level of lighting up each day?