The Trouble With Inclines
Whether it's treadmills or layer cakes, some challenges are best tackled one step at a time.
Sitting here with a boot on my foot due to a stress fracture (and when I say boot do not think of cute little Uggs or even an orthopedic sandal - it’s what you see above - a full-blown ski-like boot complete with a button to inflate and deflate.
It’s uncomfortable and unwieldy to manage but it comes with a story that could be applied to any effort in any arena, and for me, of course, that’s Cooking Therapy.
The fracture is a result of a new treadmill that we waited for and were so excited about.
I do go at various times to a gym and even sometimes work out on vacation, so I’m not a total newbie. That said, for some reason I thought it would be great to start out with a ‘walking’ class that at times had an incline of 13 degrees.
I know what you’re thinking and yes, pretty dumb. Especially when I got off of the treadmill and couldn’t walk.
Think I might have overreached?
Well of course it made me think about what it’s like to try to attempt a super hard recipe like the Dulce de Leche 12-layer cake on the cover of Bon Appetit or the exquisite Tarte Tatin from Sara Moulton.
Lofty goal! Especially if you’ve primarily been making brownies or muffins. And yet, it’s not exactly like the treadmill, meaning you can’t get hurt, except for pride and maybe your pocketbook because of the lost ingredients.
So, in terms of cooking therapy, this challenge provides a great example of getting to know yourself.
Be honest. If a ‘failure’ at a chef-worthy dish that may take several hours is going to derail your emotional state or make you cry, pause, and take it slow. Try a 4-layer cake or a one-crust crumb apple pie first.
Work your way up.
But if you’re that gung-ho adventurer who can look at the mess and reframe it as a learning experience by turning that sagging layer cake into pudding or the tarte into a topping for ice cream, bake away!
In cooking therapy there are no failures because showing up and trying something new is the goal, not the end result.
For me, I now know an awful lot about how to navigate a treadmill, and I will be back on it, with a few modifications.
I recognize that I have to start small.
No more climbs through the Dolomites; instead, a beginner class with a nice walk along the beach in Kauai or a stroll through the flat Paris section of the Île Saint-Louis.
And I promise you, my inclination is to have no incline at all.
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Cooking Therapy pioneer Debra Borden, LCSW, is the author of four books, including Cooking As Therapy - How to Improve Mental Health Through Cooking. Learn more here about her writing journey, how she became known as The Sous Therapist, and the stories that shape her work.