What is Your Dough?

Pasta Dough: A Life Lesson in Being Grounded

I have been pondering my absolute obsession with working with pasta dough, and I think I have figured it out. As I’ve mentioned previously on my social media accounts, dough grounds me. When I talk about being rooted in life, I find that working with dough is a practice, a routine and rhythm, that roots me and helps me move forward and grow as a human being.

Simply put, dough provides so many lessons in one simple ball. It keeps me rooted.

Feeling Present

Dough is very tactile and provides a place to exert your energy and feel ever present in the moment. Being present in the moment is truly everything – because that is all you have – no matter how much time or energy you spend thinking about the past or future. Dough reminds me to stay rooted in the present.

Feeling Balanced

Dough requires a give and take – it does not work without balance. Balance is one of my greatest goals in life. I want to feel balanced in the moment, in my habits, in my goals, relationships and simply in my spiritual being. When working with pasta dough you will always be asking these questions:

Does it need more moisture?

Is it too sticky? Too dry?

Will it hold together? Will it fall apart?

What does it need to achieve balance?

Am I rushing this?  Too much water too soon? Too much flour too late?

Life requires balance. And everything in my life is looked at through the lens of my roots and how these roots allow me to create balance. If there is a root that is too greedy, or simply not viable, perhaps it no longer belongs? Perhaps I need to pull this root and focus on the roots that are helping me to thrive and grow?

The only way to really know if indeed your roots are helping ground you in practices that allow you to thrive/grow is, to test these roots.

Pasta dough creates the perfect testing ground really.

In order to see what works and what doesn’t work, you must move – you must see, feel and be in the present moment – in order to see if your roots are helping you grow.

Are Your Roots Rooting for You?

If you are finding yourself off balance, examine your roots, shed those that no longer support you (or perhaps never did), pull those that are weeds which are drowning your true spirit. And create rhythms and routines to support those roots that are supporting you.

Pasta dough reminds me of these truths, every time I make noodles. And when the dough turns out beautifully, due to patience, the perfect balance of wet/dry, and the perfect flour for my recipe, then I know, once again that balance has been achieved.

It is incredibly soothing, grounding and creates a space for growth.

What is your dough?

Follow my Root | Move |Grow series on YouTube for a visual of these concepts.

Take care.