When we prepare a recipe, there’s much that goes into it before the moment of eating. The creative process, the sourcing of ingredients, the setting out of all that is needed, the preparation, the following of the rhythm to ensure the steps are met at the right times and aren’t out of order. The actual cooking process and then, voila, the meal, dish, cake etc can be enjoyed. I feel life is a lot like this, yet all to often we are wrapt up in the ‘eating’ process, the ‘delicious part’. What sometimes feels like a precious moment, we forget had many, many steps before it. So many things had to come together, and not all of them are fun, or exciting, or even pleasant.
I remind myself of this, when I am frustrated by a single moment in my life. That I too am being ‘cooked’, by my life, and that this moment of inconvenience or frustration, and I certainly seem to be having a lot of these lately, are part of the universe’s larger plan for my soul. So that when I am having a less than tasty week (last week tasted terribly to be honest), it’s all part of a greater plan. So surrender to it, and NOT trying to work out what the heck the recipe is doing half way through, is vital. I didn’t create the recipe, my soul did, and my job is to bitch and complain as little as possible, and enjoy all aspects of the sourcing, making and feasting process.
How To Cook Your Life by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, a commentary on Dogen Zenji’s Instructions For The Zen Cook, is a brilliant book and one I would recommend, where I pulled the above quote.
With love,
Jac x