This is my soul food: a day at the beach. My daughter and I drove down to Galveston for a couple of days to commune with the sun and sand and salt water. I've come back full of Vitamin D (a/k/a a slight sunburn) and feeling very relaxed. We did nothing remarkable, ate nothing remarkably good or evil, but just relaxed and laughed and had a great time together. I think sometimes we get so caught up in our daily routines that we forget to take time to feed our souls. Sitting on the beach reminds me of my place in this vast universe. The pounding of the waves and the tides going in and out keep me centered on the soothing predictability of the laws of nature and time. The weather change from sunny and calm to windy, raging tropical storm (I really need to watch more weather reports) reminds me of the wild and exciting unpredictability of life even in the midst of the ordered universe. And sometimes the most important thing in life to do is sit at the edge of the ocean and get sand in your swimsuit. Just because.
My husband held down the home fort and distinguished himself by cooking the house pork chop recipe AND mashed potatoes AND broccoli AND corn AND (wait for it) homemade bread! I'm so proud of him.
Jennie and I had bad Tex Mex (everything was watery and I'm not convinced there was ANY tequila in my margarita), okay-but-not-remarkable sushi (accompanied by a sake bomb -- I can still down it in one long unbroken drink in spite of Jennie chanting "don't laugh don't laugh"), and split an International Passport Crepe Breakfast at IHOP. Good Lord, they give a lot of food for one person! Two crepes, two eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausages -- too much for one person, but perfect for two.
So now I'm home with the salt washed off me, my car full of sand, and lovely memories. Back to work tomorrow!
You're right, it's so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind. It's good the two of you got away. You really needed that. And in cooking I discovered why you sometimes like a glass or two of wine, it helped relax me, kept me focused and added a bit of fun to the great experiment. I followed all the directions in the potions book very carefully including 6 clockwise stirs followed by one counter clockwise for better mashed potatoes. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, cooking should be fun and relaxing, at its best! I'm glad you're finding that out.
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