The dough has just gone into the warmed oven to rise over the next couple of hours, when it will then be transformed into a fabulous calzone dinner. It’s been a while since I have made this dough, you know how it is when certain recipes just fall out of your repertoire. But once I got my hands into the mix and began to knead to my heart’s content (pun intended!), I immediately dropped into a place of mindfulness and remembered…ah, how fabulous is the rhythm of kneading dough–and of creating a dinner made with love and healthful ingredients. Kneading dough invites a wonderfully rich experience when the change in consistency from a sticky mass to the aromatic, plump, almost sensuous, ball-of-dough-that-will-soon-become-dinner is occurring right under my own hands and nose. I felt in tune with the organic ingredients, with the movement of my hands and body (and yes, kneading is a full bodied activity!), and with the sound of the dough catching and grabbing on the wooden board. In those few moments of mindfulness, I felt gratitude for my love of cooking, for having the healthful ingredients in my pantry, and for the sheer pleasure of the artful creation that will nurture and nourish my family.

I kneaded it!