Don't Lose Out On the Tasty Bits

"From an evolutionary perspective, our survival as a species probably is not the result of always carefully thinking things out and obtaining definitive scientific proof before acting to escape from life-threatening situations.  It is more likely that we survived because of timely gut reactions.  Thus, we may also want to reconsider our current bias toward our logical, computational minds and give more credence to our primordial, autonomic minds."  (Fred Kirschenmann in  "Using What We Know to Make a Difference," from Cultivating an Ecological Conscience)

There is a difference, of course, between pan frying and making soup.  In the latter, it is important to keep stirring the contents every now and then.  In the former, constant stirring -- flipping the item over and over and over ultimately produces a dry, tough and less flavorful result.  Leave it alone, we were told in culinary class.  Turn it once, then take it out.  Besides, the fond that remains -- those crusty bits on the bottom of the pan that all that over-turning would have prevented -- is one of the most desirable by-products.

I have a tendency to make soup in my skillet.  Which is to say that I can over-work decisions -- turning them over and over in my head, fipping and flipping and flipping, weighing possible consequences; counting potential costs; measuring the relative merits, and in the process usually just getting stuck in the weeds instead of guided into clarity.  Whether parenting or in professional life, visioning or vacationing, choosing can become so mired that the paralysis is ultimately broken by the equivalent of a coin toss -- a kind of fatalistic abdication.

I know, I know:  calculation is important.  "Look before you leap" and all that.  "Measure twice, cut once."  "Know the route before you back out of the driveway."  Assess the alternatives.  Consult the sources.  Calculate.  Evaluate.  Recalibrate.  I don't dispute the need for -- or the value of -- careful consideration.

But all that properly attended, I think Fred may be on to something helpful and wise.  Sooner or later, it's helpful to simply check your gut.  And sooner is probably better.  Listen to your instinct as well as the data. 

Which is to say, pan fry:  turn it once, and take take it out; then scrape off and enjoy the tasty bits.