Unless you can\u2019t eat gluten,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
you don\u2019t need to bake your own bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s faster to go to the grocery store,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
grab a loaf,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and bring it back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
then,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
do people spend two hours,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or more,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of their time,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to bake bread?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As journalist and editor Erin Dahl puts it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
one reason is that: \u201c(baking) bread, at least, gives us a moment of accomplishment\u201d [ 1 ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meaning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
it gives us a moment where we can look at the work we did,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and the time we\u2019ve put into it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and be proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of ourselves,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of the loaf of bread we\u2019re letting cool down on the counter top,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and of the smile it puts on the face of the loved one we just gave two thick slices to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
unless you\u2019re a baker by trade,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or get paid for each loaf you pull out the oven,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
you can\u2019t feed yourself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or a loved one,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
only on \u201cbaking bread\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why troubles start right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
for some amateur bakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When they have to leave their kitchen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and go back where they actually get paid for their work;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
at that place they call \u201cthe office\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for casual woodworkers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
week-end mechanics,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
evening software programmers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once they\u2019re back at \u201cthe office\u201d,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they look at the work they left on their desk the day before,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and wish they were in their kitchen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
workshop,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
garage,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or else,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cause they realize how big the amount of time they\u2019ve put into their paid-work,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and how small the \u201ctoken of pride they get from doing it\u201d is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making them ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow could I use my time otherwise? And not feel I\u2019m wasting it? The same with my potential?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you compare them to paid jobs,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
one of the reasons why people take on things like volunteer work,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or hobbies,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
like \u201cbaking bread\u201d,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
doesn\u2019t have much to do with the \u201cwork it calls for\u201d itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or how much time they put into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or how much \u201cdough\u201d it adds in their bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Pun intended.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The appeal of these \u201cunpaid gigs\u201d,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or the pull towards them,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
is in their zero-dollar payoff (vf: r\u00e9compense).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meaning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in the kick,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and the pride you and I get from making these gigs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even more so,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in the help,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or the smile it gives the person who gets to enjoy whatever we\u2019ve \u201cbaked\u201d that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let it be a loaf of sourdough bread,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a repaired door on a cabinet,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a website,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
imagine if you add these payoff\u2019s to your list of \u201cthings to check before applying on a job\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the next time you\u2019re looking for one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you think you\u2019ll look for the same kind of \u201cpaid gig\u201d as the one you have right now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or will you try to find a different one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– – References – – – – <\/p>\n\n\n\n
[ 1 ] Erin DAHL \u2013 Even in Paris, homemade sourdough is inevitable (www.grubstreet.com\/2020\/04\/homemade-sourdough-in-paris.html)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s more to baking bread than being able to pull a loaf out of the oven, once it\u2019s golden brown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1036,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[373],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-work-life"],"yoast_head":"\n