Love is an Ingredient

How many times have you carefully prepared a meal - washed and chopped vegetables, sauteed or steamed them, and served them to your family all while being angry or stewing over a situation?
Have you then noticed that while your family was eating they became a little testy, perhaps an argument arose out of nowhere? Or perhaps they didn't have an appetite for what you had prepared, complaining that it didn't taste good.
Just like they're eating the nutrients inherent in the food you have prepared, and possibly spent a small fortune on, they're also eating your emotions.
Does that leave you feeling a bit unsettled?
Sadly, it's true.
I have learned first hand that being aware of my mood while in the kitchen is really important.
As an experiment, pay attention to the mood you're in while preparing a meal and then without saying anything, notice the mood at the table. Does it shift when people start to eat your food? For the purposes of this experiment, you might not want to try anger as an ingredient, but rather listen to quiet music and cook to the soothing rhythms. Then, for another meal, try rock and roll and dancing around the kitchen as you make your meal. Notice what happens at the table.
If your family has had a difficult day, you can help ease them into their evening by settling your mood and preparing the evening meal mindfully and with love.
Adding love as an ingredient to your food preparation is a wonderful thing to do any time for your family and especially for yourself. I've been known to keep a container on my counter where I dip in and grab a pinch of love to sprinkle on the food as I prepare it. It helps remind me that Love is the most benevolent ingredient of all.
 
In love and light,
Deborah

Photo Credit: Lesly Juarez, unsplash