Beautifully risen

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From an article in The Washington Post by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick on April 7, 1999: “… cooking a soufflé is like jumping off a cliff. Take the leap, and there's no going back. Floppy egg whites — tough luck, your soufflé won't rise. Underbake and you'll have a soupy mess. Overbake and a once beautifully majestic soufflé will collapse. Get your timing wrong — soufflés have no tolerance for late-to-the-table dinner guests — and your soufflé will fall…” 

But I cooked a soufflé yesterday! Metaphorically, that is. 

The presentation I did at the College’s professional development day went very well. With over 100 participants! Online. What a sense of accomplishment. 

I jumped off the cliff, but had planned well enough that my ingredients rose like air and were delivered, fully baked, to my audience with pretty good timing. 

It went well because I traded my nerves for the intention to simply do my best. That commitment enabled me to prepare well and to deliver the session with genuine enjoyment. 

My mum sent me a note saying that on her baking show, an older contestant had said that she tells her students “not to worry about being THE best but to focus on doing THEIR best.” Which is, essentially, the same advice the older contestant gave herself on my cooking show: Forget the nerves. Just concentrate on doing your best. 

Their advice certainly worked for me in my presentation. I wonder if it will work when I try my hand at making a soufflé? 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Comments

  1. AnnJune 3, 2021 at 6:02 AM

    Kudos! Both on your successful presentation and on the land acknowledgement

    ReplyDelete
  2. danielle-momoJune 3, 2021 at 6:46 AM

    Congratulations on the success of your presentation. Doing your best was certainly part of it.

    At the end of the seventies, I was part of adults responsible for Scout’s Cubs, les louveteaux.
    Their motto was : I do my best ! I adopted it then and kept it through the years.
    It always gives great satisfaction even when it doesn’t go as you would like.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PamelakatJune 3, 2021 at 8:56 AM

    Congratulations on a successful presentation, Amanda! For the record, I have always thought you are an amazing public speaker, easily connecting with your audience and showing no lack of self confidence!

    ReplyDelete

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