Cooking is an act of love. Whether you’re doing it for yourself, other people, or animals, what you are truly doing is nourishing yourself or another. It doesn’t matter if it’s a peanut butter and jam sandwich or a three-course formal meal. It’s the intention behind the physical result.
I have been told many stories that describe treasured memories of a particular drink, food, or meal that was prepared by a grandparent or other relative, or an adult who loved the person telling me the story. I have many of those stories from my own life. Whatever the details, no matter how simple, love was the true heart of the story. The food or drink was the nourishment that rose from love.
I have had an interest in cooking and creating meals since childhood, and I grew up around three wonderful cooks whose intention was always love, nourishment, and good health. Now I understand that, when I was a young adult, the process of creating a meal was meditative for me. It was where I was able to spend time connecting with my creative spirit, and being in that space, for any amount of time, causes an expansion of creativity and spirit in your life. So, for me, in my late teens and early twenties, cooking for my family and friends became a vehicle to my inner self.
The term “consciousness” can mean different things. What do you think of when you hear that word? If it’s used in the sense of your awareness of yourself, your thoughts and feelings, and how they affect you and others, how do you encourage your growth of consciousness in your everyday life?
Cooking still works for me, and over the years, I have added other practices as well. Walking in nature, being on or near water, exercise, gardening or caring for plants inside, spending time where everything is turned off and the space I’m in is quiet, creative projects, journaling – these are some of the practices which provide me with pauses in my busy life; pauses that have eventually helped me to learn that I can become more conscious about myself every minute of every day if I choose, no matter the circumstances.
Have a blessed day!