Patience Has Its Rewards

Last week in the dark lit delivery room of my first child, I came face-to-face with my oldest adversary.  My foe hijacked the clock, stalled it and taunted me with threats of making it go even slower. It was 36 hours since Tess’s labor induction began and my threshold for waiting wavered.  Could I prevail against my biggest weakness impatience?

I used to think waiting for the oven preheat to 425° was a true test of my self-restraint. Now, with a baby plopped on my lap, I realize I have absolutely no patience at all (especially if pizza is involved), but I have a feeling, if harnessed, patience may become one of my strongest allies.

Celebratory Salvatore’s Tomato Pies.

I was blessed with my son Ellis at 2:28am Wednesday morning after an excruciatingly long labor process that started Monday night! By Wednesday evening all of our well-exerted effort (Tess is the true hero of the story) was rewarded; we celebrated in true Luther fashion with a pizza party in our hospital birth suite.  My brother Jeff and Jaime had the brilliant idea of welcoming Ellis into this world with Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, the notorious Madison area pizza joint.

With locations in Sun Prairie and Downtown Madison, Sal’s pride themselves on using all locally sourced fresh ingredients and have a reputation for being the best artisan pizza in the area. The website describes their rise to fame in Sun Prairie “They quickly built a reputation for crafting pizza like no other…  Using old world techniques of slow fermenting dough from locally derived wheat, locally made cheeses and Wisconsin-raised meats.”

The tomato pies have a distinct structure that is a family legacy and according to the website has been passed down many generations.  The pizza is basically built in reverse.  It starts with whole milk mozzarella, olive oil, romano and is then drizzled with tomato “red sauce” and sprinkled with basil.

The crust has an excellent char on the bottom and with the sauce on top, its vibrancy really shines through.  The pepperoni is thicker-cut and when baked up turns into crispy little cups that hold a little grease at the bottom. The tomato pies are equal parts simple, elegant and rustic.

pepperoni grease cups.

Waiting.

The birth of Ellis was one of the most magical experiences of my life, but there was a ton of waiting around and much of that time was extremely boring.  Although I was restless in the hospital, I realized I should be embracing those seemingly boring moments and appreciating them. I will surely look back on these days as being some of the best times of my life.  Dirty diapers, Doctors appointments and long sleepless nights are on the way, why not try to enjoy them?

There will always be times in our lives when we have to “kill time”; if we handle these moments with a constructive mindset they won’t feel like such a waste. Waiting isn’t so bad if we use our time wisely.

Conquering impatience:

1. Keep busy.  Read a book, take a walk, write a blog about pizza.  At one point I was meditating in the birth suite bathroom and practicing Spanish via Duolingo as I paced the halls.
2. Make it fun.  We can make a game out of whatever boring situation we’re in.  We can bring some humor and even make some pleasant lasting memories.
3. Get Stoic and view it as an opportunity for growth.  We can look at a dull moment as a training of our will, something that will strengthen our resolve for the future.

What pizza taught me:

Patience is most definitely a virtue and is not always so easy to access.  By embracing and overcoming the restlessness and agitation that comes with impatience we’ll prevail. All my downtime at the hospital last week was well worth the wait as I ended up the best reward of all; pizza and a healthy son.

What I’m eating: Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, pepperoni and half cheese, half veggie

What I’m reading: Learned Optimism -Martin Seligman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Extra Cheese: The Antidote for an Anxious Dad-To-Be

With my wife, Tess 39 weeks pregnant my pizza is about to get an undeniable upgrade to family size.  I’m excited about a new addition to the pizza-party, but the anticipation of his arrival and the coming obliteration of my care-free lifestyle has me a little on edge. I know a new little pizza buddy will be the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but it will also be the greatest amount of responsibility I’ve ever taken on and my nerves are getting twisted up like garlic knots.

As I mentally prepare to split my pizza three ways I selfishly ruminate over all the ways life will change.   Will I have the patience?  Will I get enough sleep?  Will my routines be disrupted? Will there be enough time for the things I enjoy?  Will the baby even like pizza?

Fortunately for me, I’ve got one fantastic support system of family, friends, and co-workers who have done wonders over the last several weeks to help calm my nerves. Just last weekend I ventured to Sun Prairie to the home of my brother Jeff where Tess and I were guests of honor for a “Huggies for Chuggies” party.

There is nothing like the stretch of cheese between friends. 

The “Huggies for Chuggies” party is sort of like a bachelor party for parents, where the host supplies food and libations in exchange for diapers from the guests (aka an excuse to hang out with friends before life changes forever).

For the occasion, Jeff provided pizzas from one of Sun Prairie’s oldest and finest establishments Anna’s Pizzeria.   Anna’s is one of my brothers’ favorite spots in Sun Prairie and it’s easy to see why.  Anna’s is insanely cheesy, I’m talking like at least a quarter inch of melted cheese across the whole pie.  Grabbing a slice of Anna’s is half the fun because you get the most epic, food-porn worthy cheese stretches.

Epic Stretch

The sauce is sweeter than most but is balanced out by the saltiness of the excessive cheese.  The pepperoni and sausage pizza was even better because of this salt to sweet combination created by the sauce and toppings.  Anna’s menu is extremely old school and basic; pizzas with classic topping options, garlic bread, and soda, that’s it. If you want to get some Anna’s plan accordingly because they are only open 4-10pm six days a week and only accept cash.

Old friends and sage advice over Anna’s pizza.

Surrounded by my best friends and the cheesy pizza of Anna’s I found solace and my anxieties about the future began to lift.  Beyond the pizza, I received encouragement that really meant a lot, things like “you’ll be a great Dad” and “you have nothing to worry about”. I also got some guidance about the day-to-day life of parenting which gave me more perspective.  Soaking up some advice from some new fathers also alleviated a lot of the tension I had built up, I even learned how to change a diaper (thanks Aaron, Sarah, and Alex!).

The party was a great send off into parenthood.  My friends helped me take a rational step back and realize the anticipation of becoming a Dad can be far more overwhelming than actually taking on the daily duties of fatherhood.

Me and Brother Jeff (the host that can boast the most roast)

95% of things we stress about will not happen.

Often the anticipation of an event can deal out more anxiety than the actual outcome.   My apprehensions about becoming a Dad are really just fear of the unknown. In the book, Radical Acceptance author Tara Brach makes the point that “the fear of pain is often the most unpleasant part of a painful experience”.

All the things that I’ve worried about will most likely work out just fine and worrying about them will do nothing but make them worse.

Dealing with the worries of becoming a Dad:

1. Seek advice from someone who been through it before.  Talking through a scenario can bring a lot of relief as we familiarize our selves with the issues at hand.  We can learn and come up with a plan to guide us through.
2. Try to remain in the moment. Try to accept things as they are, and to do that start out with some deep breaths.  Focus on the feeling of your body, fingers, and toes.  By focusing on our physical sensations, we are brought into the present, where the anxiety of the future is more easily released.
3. Trust your instincts.  Everyone keeps telling me that once I have the little guy, it will all come naturally.  So, I will trust their advice and just take each situation as it comes, one day at a time.

What pizza taught me:

Becoming a Dad will surely be an adjustment, but as with anything new in life, we’ll figure it out. When anticipation of the future starts wreaking havoc on our emotions the support and guidance of loved ones can melt our anxieties away.  Some extra cheesy pizza doesn’t hurt either.

What I’m eating:  Anna’s cheese pizza and Anna’s half sausage, half pepperoni pizza (we didn’t even ask for extra cheese, that’s just how it comes!)

What I’m reading:  Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha –Tara Brach

 

Finding a New “Spot”

After 6 years of searching high and low in Madison for my ideal pizza, I’ve finally come across a place that has earned the coveted title as my “spot”.  The “spot” could be defined as your go-to pizza joint, the neighborhood pizzeria where everybody knows your name, the place you celebrate the good times and find comfort in the bad. Once you’ve had a reliable “spot” it’s hard to move on and find a new one.

After moving to Madison I’ve often struggled to let go of the pizza places of my past.  When selecting a new spot there are so many factors to take into consideration; What type of pizza are you after? Do they deliver? Do you get pleasant and timely service? Do the surroundings feel natural and welcoming?  The biggest factor for me is my “type” and in an effort to adapt to the reality of my new pizza landscape I recently struck gold.

“spot” worthy

My new spot. 

On Friday night I usually opt for delivery, I want to get home, relax and eat some pizza.  But, I’ve found a place that’s worth a trek after a week at the office. Tucked away inside a golf course club house on the outskirts of Verona, WI resides Dahmen’s.  Dahmen’s is a bustling sports bar with righteous fish fry, famed smoked wings and surprisingly excellent pizza.

Just my kind of pizza as a matter of fact.  Dahmen’s serves up pies that are reminiscent of my favorite hole-in-the-wall joints that have that thin, cut in squares, loaded with cheese pizza. Every bite actually had me reliving the pizza glory days of my youth (especially Rosa’s Pizza in Whitewater).

 

The crust is moderately thin, has a char on the bottom and gets nice and crispy around the edges (the edge pieces were my favorite).  You can tell they use good quality cheese and they have an awesome hand-pinched sausage.  Overall they have a really balanced pie.

A good indicator of a place being spot worthy is if the locals are loyal to it and this is the case with Dahmen’s.  The place is always busy and with its sports bar type feel would be a great place to catch a game. Dahmen’s is perched over the Hawks Landing golf course so the view from the restaurant is exceptional, they even have a sunset gallery on their website to showcase the epic sunsets.

Epic sunset

Adapting to change.

Though it took me a couple years to find my new spot in Madison, at Dahmen’s I found a perfect transitional pie, bridging the gap between what I’ve always loved in pizza and my new location. It was hard to adjust at first, but now I’m happier than ever.

Change is inevitable in our lives and how we adapt is critical to our success or failure.    Even in something as simple and solid for us as pizza there will always be disruptions, like Dominos nixing breadsticks or Toppers scrapping Hidden Valley Ranch (booooo!), if we can pivot with these ebbs and flows we’ll come out on top.

Here are a couple ways to cope when we’re faced with change. 

1. Keep an open mind. When we keep an open mind during transitional periods and try not to hold on to the past we can accept our circumstances and find a solution faster.
2. Prioritize. Figure out a way to keep intact what’s important to you.  Through times of change, we may have to compromise, but we shouldn’t have to let go of the things that are meaningful to us.
3. Plan. Develop a strategy to deal with our new situation as it happens.  If we’re mentally prepared adapting to change can be a lot easier.

What pizza taught me:

There will always be points in life when we have to adapt to new circumstances. By successfully navigating transitions we can find a whole new level of fulfillment and if we’re lucky maybe even some spot worthy pizza.

What I’m eating: Dahmen’s at Hawks Landing sausage and pepperoni

What I’m reading: Originals –Adam Grant