A friend, her husband, and I had a conversation the other day about mindfulness while cooking; how cooking could become a meditation — a calming, grounding, gratifying experience — if you allow it.

3 hours last night in the kitchen, and the many more hours to be spent there today in preparation for a family gathering on Thanksgiving, has provided me the opportunity to do just that: cultivate a mindfulness while enjoying the art of creating healthful, delicious, and hand-made dishes, infused with love and gratitude.  My senses are stimulated by the savory aromas, the gorgeous orange and yellow of the citrus and deep red of the cranberries, the sweet tang of the fresh squeezed juice; my mind is soothed by the rhythm of stirring, adding, tasting…

The love and gratitude I am blessed to feel will be shared amongst my family and our friends with each splendid morsel. This unhurried pace that is so nurturing to me will permeate our feast.

Not all meals are prepared with mindfulness. Life, at least my life, does not always provide these circumstances in which I can enjoy mindful cooking.

Does yours?