The Art of Living

Quote: Cooking is the deepest of the arts of living. It touches us daily more profoundly than any other ritual. ~ Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pepin is an acclaimed chef on television. I love Jacques. My Honey likes him, as well. He’s French and his accent alone makes the food taste good! I shared this quote because I believe what it says. It is a truism in our home. As a chef wannabe, cooking is more than just putting something on the table for me. Yes, there are times that I have done just that but for the most part, I put a lot of thought and study behind meals. I watch several cooking shows. I, the willing student, consider them classrooms. Loving to try new dishes, watching a seasoned chef walk through the process gives me confidence to try.

Food, it seems, means different things to different people. To my husband, it is a Love Language. My Honey is a man that loves to eat! It is more than an occasion to tickle the taste buds while fulfilling a primal need. He is the most appreciative person I’ve ever had the pleasure for which to cook. Believing that presentation is everything, I take care to plan meals that delight the eye as well as the palate. I am rewarded for this effort by his reactions when presented with a plate made especially for him. His eyes literally dilate in anticipation and appreciation. He notices the detail of color; the aromas that greet and delight his nose. He lights up; making all the effort worthwhile. As he eats his meal, he comments on how the different dishes compliment one another. This, in turn, feeds my chef-self and continues to inspire me to delight him. As Jacques stated, he is profoundly touched by my efforts and I am profoundly moved to please him. The look on his face alone would be enough but I am rewarded by the fact he notices my efforts and derives pleasure from them. We have a mutual admiration society over the dinner table.

Cooking is the deepest of the arts of living. It touches us daily more profoundly than any other ritual.

I contend the arts of living have fallen by the wayside in our hectic world today and special effort need to be made to rekindle the grace of days gone by as a means of nurturing our souls; to reinstate them in our day-to-day rituals. To that end, I have made a practice of having tea in the afternoon. I initially began making the point of stopping all activity to sit down and a savor a cup or two of my favorite hot tea before the kids got home from school. It was a time to regroup and re-energize myself before the evening chaos. Regardless of what I am doing, I still stop and have tea at two every afternoon. It is a moment in time dedicated to the endangered art of living, not just existing.

If you do nothing else today (yeah, right), take a few minutes and think about one thing you can do to nurture yourself; one thing that profoundly touches and enhances your art of living. You are worth it. God thinks so, why shouldn’t you?