Kitchen Time

Yesterday I needed some time to myself.  I also desperately needed some time in the kitchen and thankfully I was able to combine both of those things.

We have a lot going on here at the HQ and it’s all stuff that, for one reason or another,  I can’t talk about just yet.

But it has us going and going and going with a lot of doing thrown in for good measure.  We have been so busy and so focused on all these events that it quickly became overwhelming to me.  There have been a few days where I told Scott I just needed to crash out because I needed a break. Enter in my couch and PS3 because on those days, that’s exactly what we did (Borderlands anyone? Anyone?).

I tend to shut down when things get overwhelming to me.  I get quiet and sort of fall into myself.  I also get cranky quickly over minor things.  I realized that I was doing this and decided I needed to do something about it.

Yesterday was that day.

Because we have been busy, I haven’t really had much time to cook.  Oh I’ve made us meals and heated up leftovers from the freezer, but I hadn’t spent any significant amount of time in the kitchen for weeks.

This puts me on edge and makes me feel off-balance.  Kitchen time, much like reading before bed, is “my time”.  It’s my down time.  It helps me regroup, get grounded, and refocus.

Yesterday I spent hours in the kitchen.

I prepped and washed a lot of the produce I got at the store the night before.  I made salsa and slaw for our taco dinner we were going to have later that night.

I made veggies for Rocks and I made pork stock.  Then once all that was done, I made us some lunch.

Scott did the dishes and I dried and put them away.  I got the stock set and cooling and I finally sat down for the first time.

It felt oh so good.

I worked with my hands and created things.  Some people craft or knit, I cook.  Working with food and using your hands to create something that will nourish you is a pretty amazing feeling.

Knowing that you can show love and support with a little salsa and some tacos is pretty powerful.

The satisfaction of eating a great meal is grounding.

 

Regrouping with a tasty beer at the end of the day with your very best friend is perfection.

I’m still feeling very overwhelmed and we still have a crazy amount of things going on, but I feel much better.  Hopefully stuff will get accomplished this week and some things will settle into place a little more.

 

6 thoughts on “Kitchen Time

  1. Glad you got the grounding time you needed. That is *essential* to not only a healthy body – but a healthy mind. Kudos to you for choosing this for your day!

  2. Cooking is also very therapeutic for me (and it’s so relaxing to know that the majority of my week’s meals are planned, since I usually have my big cooking days on the weekend).

    I think nowadays with people’s jobs becoming less tangible and more about developing products and services that are less defined, we need something that we can make with our hands. There’s something about the visual and tangible element that makes a person feel better.

    • Jess, YES! It’s something I really try to impress upon people, that we need that connection with our food. We need to touch it, and work with it in order to create a great meal.

  3. I’m glad you got that much needed time you needed! I know that I love to bake when I’m upset/excited/sad/overwhelmed/etc.
    Hope today’s a better day for you!

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