In the past couple of days I’ve had two reminders of how important it is to recognize that when it’s done, it’s done. This week is Ben’s birthday. He may be 30ish years old, but he loves to still play like a kid.
Okay, I must confess, I love to play like a kid too. Put our heads together and you never know what sort of plan we’ll cook up. This year, we decided to plan a combined birthday party…at a trampoline park.
Ben invited his friends. I carefully selected from my friends those who seemed to think jumping around for a couple of hours sounded fun. We booked a birthday party for 10.
Since we were planning to play like children, I decided to make kid snacks that included cupcakes baked in ice cream cones.
I had no trouble finding gluten-free ice cream cones. I even have a metal rack that holds the cones in place so they don’t spill while they’re baking– easy peasy. The cake batter was quick and easy to throw together even though I was out of brown rice flour. I just substituted white rice flour, filled the cones, popped them in the oven, and set the timer.
After 15 minutes, I decided the cakes needed a couple more minutes. At 17 minutes, I inserted a toothpick and it came out clean. I know that means the cakes are done, but they weren’t even beginning to brown so I decided to leave them 2 or 3 more minutes. Why? I guess it just felt weird for the tops to look so white. I dunno.
What I do know is that while they tasted good, the overcooking made the cupcakes dry. So arrived my first reminder that when things are done they’re done. Go with it. If you don’t there will be undesirable consequences.
Ben is still learning this lesson. He jumped, flipped, played dodge ball, bounced and had a blast for three solid hours. After two hours, he suffered an ill landed 2.5 revolution flip into the foam pit. Was he done? Perhaps he should have been.
The party was Sunday. On Monday, Ben could hardly move. He hurt everywhere except his calves. Yesterday, he shifted his weight onto his left leg to step into his car. It gave way and he fell prone on the driveway. He said everything that didn’t hurt on Monday was hurting.
What have I concluded from the past few days? Pay attention! Trust the information you’re receiving. Stop second-guessing everything. When you see evidence that something is done, for goodness sake, let it be done!
