Following a Dream . . . The Pursuit of a Bakery Cafe: Waiting on an Action Plan
A sincere and special thank you Nancy Silverton for sharing your mastery of the Crème fraiche custard brioche tart with warm fruit compote that was so beautiful it brought Julia Child to tears. Thank you PBS for sharing such wonderful video.
This week I’m going to shift topics just a bit. I was wanting to share my Action Plan with you, yet there are a few reasons why I’m not revealing that just yet.
1. Not yet complete . . . That doesn’t quite capture it however. It hasn’t been for lack of will or interest. In fact, if I can share a little story in which you may find yourself gasping with disbelief!
Have you ever looked forward to a night out with friends or a special trip? You go about your daily routine meeting all of the demands for your focus and attention, yet all the while you are secretly excited about your future plans. Well, that’s how I feel about working on my action plan! : ) Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely cherish time with friends and family. Yet there is a quiet excitement that builds when I think of that night I will close the work files (day job), send my last email communication, pour a steaming cup of aromatic coffee, okay, okay, sometimes a little pastry is involved as well, and anxiously open the plan file. I excitedly hit keys capturing thoughts and ideas that have danced through my head all week. Sometimes they are notes on scrap paper or recipes sent from Mom or ideas gleaned from visiting a new, or favorite, cafe location.
When people ask, What do you like to do in your spare time for fun? I roll my eyes upward thinking for a moment, again time with those that I love and am grateful to have in my life; then of course it is running on the river to none other than one of my favorite cafes to keep the dream alive. Do I dare answer, And, oh yes, my business plan!
2. Jinx . . . While I believe in the Power of Positive Thinking and the Law of Attraction, there is also something I’m sure you’ve heard of called Counting Your Chickens (yes, before they’ve hatched.) There are some activities under way and I would also like to respect the confidentiality of those involved. Not that any of you know what I’m talking about. In fact by now this may sound like gibberish. Yet it will all be clear soon enough, no matter what the outcome; I would very much like to share some of the journey and hope you find some morsels of value in it.
In some ways this process has been agonizing, in other ways it has me wrapped up in excited thoughts one minute, anxious can’t sleep the next, and then, almost out of nowhere, a sudden calm falls over me. A kind of calm before the thunderous storm that gives way to blue, white puffy cloud filled skies and every now and again, a vibrant rainbow.
3. Questioning . . . This past week I ran away from home or from my life or from something anyway. I called home to tell my Mom and Dad that I was on the lamb! I don’t think I have the running away thing down quite right as I think the point is not telling anyone : ) And after wandering around the neighborhood for hours, lost in my thoughts, trying to calm them as they jumped from yes I can do this to no way, have I lost my mind . . . and back to yes again, where did I find myself but curled up on the couch with a baking book!
I’m beginning to think, when you’re feeling a little lost and unsure, despite what might be a usual need to hammer at it until resolution is reached, maybe just the smallest of breaks is not such a bad idea. Like a boomerang, your love for whatever it was you were so unsure of, is right there in front of you waiting to greet you with open arms. And if one sign isn’t enough, when you find yourself staying up late to wait for the rerun of Julia Child you happened to come across in the programming on a channel you’ve never even heard of before. . . like a little beacon of light in the dark . . . despite the late hour, you find yourself wide eyed, watching every roll and turn of the dough in an episode of How to Make Puff Pastry . . . well, your dream may have just found you again. Watching Julie Child brought back a rush of memories from time spent with my Grandmother as a little girl.
4. Creating Your Destiny . . . I think the moral of the story is don’t let fear allow you to run away from your dreams. Your dreams are only going to come and find you . . . in which case you might want to consider yourself very very lucky!
Deliciously,
croissantgirl
I’m sorry you needed to run away….
I’m glad that you had the courage to run away….
Glad you are back….
Baby steps still seem to work for me when I am overwhelmed.
You are too sweet. Everyone should run away, or at least disappear for part of the day, every now and again. It’s kind of liberating (giggle).