In our busy lives, we need to outsmart time. We are often too tired to shop or prepare food at the end of a work day. Get creative and fall in love with the process. The art of conversation and shared time during the cooking process is not only some of the most amazing entertainment but can be a spiritual experience.
I experienced this in Hawaii when I was staying with my daughter and her friends. At first I was losing my mind because every meal took HOURS to prepare. We would finally sit down and I would be so obsessed with getting fed that I missed out on the beauty of the experience. One night, early in my trip, I was invited to a vegan dinner party hosted by a world renowned vegan chef and cookbook author, Nadia Damaso. I was thinking/judging that it was going to taste like cardboard and I would starve to death right there in paradise. When I arrived, the attendees and cooks were dancing, hugging, laughing, loving and cooking together. Everyone was participating in the joy of the ritual. When we sat down to eat the seven course meal which ended in lavender ice cream, I was so “full” of love and being present and in awe of these humans that I was not my usual hungry, grumpy self before a meal. I was not calculating the numbers and judging myself. It was literally one of the most extraordinary and life changing nights of my life. I was able to be present and taste the love in each dish. This was three years ago. I began to see the process of preparing food and sharing it as a sacred and holy one. My daughter and her friends “got it” to their core. Just by being themselves and sharing their journey, they added to my healing.