First Fermentation
Next, I poured the 14 cups of tea into the empty jar followed by 2 cups of store-bought kombucha (they recommend plain but I used GT’s Gingerade). I then gently returned the SCOBY to the jar, covered the jar with cloth and rubber band, and returned it to the cabinet. I will start tasting the tea about six days from today as it should take six to ten days for the first fermentation. Hopefully sometime next week I will be able to bottle the kombucha for the second fermentation!
When thinking about flow I realized how related it is to my occupations. I think entering a flow mind state is a peak experience when an individual is fully immersed and present in an activity. I have many occupations that are meaningful to me, and I have experienced flow state quite often. Although many of my occupations relate to this feeling, I specifically thought of skiing and mountain biking when I first read of the flow state definition. These relate well to all four experiences described in the article. When I ski and mountain bike, I often lose myself in the moment, it is a very euphoric feeling that leaves me feeling whole again. I also can really relate to feeling distraught if I am unable to perform these occupations, there have been times I have been injured and unable to enjoy these occupations. I have also experienced flow when I throw pottery on the wheel. I usually listen to music I enjoy and can be completely present in the moment while I create pottery.
Brewing Kombucha is a relatively easy task, but there are a lot of things to remember and a precision and knowledge required that I do not yet have. I have had to rely on other’s experience through the internet and other blogs to learn how to make kombucha. This makes it feel a bit clunky because it is not something I understand very well yet or know how to do. In a way it relates to when I have brewed beer before but there are many differences because beer involves just yeast while a kombucha SCOBY is comprised of bacteria and yeast. This changes the process of how kombucha is made and in this way brewing kombucha is entirely different from other occupations I have had before. I think I could have a flow experience creating kombucha when it becomes familiar to me and I am not googling questions at every step. Once I gain more knowledge and familiarity, I think brewing kombucha will serve as a positive distraction and allow me to be immersed in the challenge of creating new flavors of kombucha.
I think for the most part I would fit the autotelic personality type very well. I think the more I have grown up and grown into myself I have learned to do things for their enjoyment, for example when I was in my first few years of college, I had a goal of skiing at least 50 days every year. Considering that the local ski area is typically only open for about three months this meant a lot of days on the hill. More recently I have realized it is more valuable for me to go ski as often as I will enjoy. Rather than going on icy days and bad snow days to meet goal, I go when it seems like it will provide the most enjoyment. Most of the occupations I have choose to participate in now are for the enjoyment they provide rather than some external reward or goal. The flow experience also greatly impacts my decision to choose certain occupations, I like challenging occupations that allow me to be present and mindful of what I am doing. I think having an autotelic personality motivates me to choose my occupations based on the enjoyment they provide.
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