The Journey Home
About 2 years ago, I took a vacation from blogging here. I had planned on taking a mini vacation, but then life happened and my kitchen sadly went from being the place I loved being in the most to a space I hated being in. The change did not happen overnight; rather it was a gradual process that begin when we opened our hearts and homes to a family in need. I do not want to talk about them or what happened. Today, I just want to give thanks for the journey and for having been surrounded by varying people along the way who slowly guided me back to the place where my kitchen is once again my space. It is once again the space where I breathe freely, where I come and go without fear, where my creative juices are once again flowing. It is a space that looks nothing like what it did 2 years ago, as we are slowly remodeling and reorganizing it.
It is amazing what a few coats of paint can do as it gives a space a new look and literally washes away any physical reminders of what was. The new curtains have replaced the blinds that were broken and no longer functioning. The chair railing is giving an added dimension and focal point to the biggest wall and the color for me is so peaceful and calm. It makes us want to come sit around the table again and stare into the prayer and meditation garden and just be. Sitting there today reminded me how grateful I was to be able to sit there with peace.
Each time I experience the peace again, I find myself giving thanks to those who were with me during the challenging times and prayed with us as we worked at removing the negative energy that had managed to sneak in. As I breathe in the peace, I give thanks for those who prayed with and for us during a challenging time. The power of others prayers for us will never be forgotten. It is one of those expressions of love which we will always remember.
Those loving sources are still in our lives. Yet at the same time, there have been new sources which have helped me find my way home in terms of my life and my relationship with food, with my body and with our kitchen. I am grateful for my wife of 20 plus years now who has been with me on this journey as I have found my way back to plant based and vegan cooking. I am grateful to my friends, who regardless of what they eat, have been supportive and encouraging about my eating what is healthy for me and my family. I am grateful for being spared those who ask why we are once again moving away from animal products and back to where we both feel comfortable and home.
I am grateful for the chefs who came before me and have been inspiring me along the way. This time I am appreciating the convenience of plant based products I can purchase and will have them around for when needed, but I am grateful for the intention of taking the time to learn how to create my own. I have learned how to make my own smoked salmon out of carrots and my own cream cheese, something which was a valuable childhood memory and continues to be one of my comfort foods. I am grateful for Mark fo Stash Sauce whose excitement for modernist techniques has helped me see that I can create and re-envision anything I want. The only thing stopping me in my creative journey is me.
Perhaps that is why I have found myself wanting to listen to Will Yeung with Yeungman Cooking. He reminds me to “cook with confidence.” There is nothing fancy about his meals. They are simple, healthy, comforting and beautiful, all at the same time. He has reminded me how I can take the simplest of ingredients, honor them, and give thanks for them. There is something about watching him cook that is a spiritual experience. There is a reverence to the way he approaches food and the process of cooking that leaves me feeling as if I am watching the Ultimate in the beginning.
Yet it was Will’s cabinets that were the final reminder for me of a dream I had allowed to die. Now I am slowly decanting all my baking, grains, beans, and other products and transferring them to leak and airproof containers. This last phase will take time as we order the containers in affordable batches, but the transformation has been amazing already. The ability to look in ad see the colors of the various kinds of beans, lentils and other grains is like art. Even the colors of the spices is filling our pantry with beauty and a reminder of the artistic nature of the one I call the Ultimate. Now I get to see reminders of the Ultimate in my kitchen on a daily basis and for that I am truly grateful.
I am excited to be ready to open up my kitchen and the spiritual lessons I am learning with all of you again. Be blessed and welcome back to my Zenful Kitchen.
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