"Peace begins in the kitchens and pantries, gardens and backyards, where our food is grown and prepared.
The energies of nature and the infinite universe are absorbed through the foods we eat and are transmuted into our thoughts and actions."
- Michio Kushi
The home has been called the foundation of civilization, and this is true.
But it is so much more than that.
It is our axis mundi, a place where we gain an infinite view of the intersection of all things.
It is a place where order exists when everything outside of it looks to be in chaos or darkness.
Every morning we are born into our own individual universe, our home.
It is the center of everything, and requires only a few things to self-perpetuate.
A thriving garden.
A happy, well-used kitchen.
A few books.
And tranquility.
What else does one need?
If it weren't for the outer world telling me to think otherwise, my outlook would be considerably rosier.
In my individual universe, things are running smoothly, peacefully, and harmoniously.
This radiates out around me, enhancing everything.
Live the changes you want to see, and eventually you will see those changes reflected all around you.
Peace in the home begets peace in the world at large.
It starts here.
That is one of my favourite quotes of Michio's! I love your idea of the home as our own individual universe.
ReplyDeleteThe simple act of growing food nourishes us deeply, and the act of cooking it with love and care also nourishes us on many levels, as well as those we cook for.
In western culture we usually only think of food as something that satisfies hunger/desire and determines the size and shape of our bodies, forgetting that it also creates our moods, our energy levels, our spirit and our intelligence. Food also creates our blood which in turn creates every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies. So the quality of food is very important. Our blood is completely renewed every 90 days, so better choices can create better blood and better health - isn't that a powerful thought! Our entire future is literally created in the kitchen.
Madeleine
Some people think the brain is in charge. But isn't it the stomach? What happens to the brain (and everything else) when the stomach doesn't get what it wants?
DeleteAs you convincingly highlight - food is everything. Harvesting fresh food from the garden is a simple delight that can not be bought at the grocery store. Cooking with it, and enjoying the meals made with it are infinitely satisfying.
And sharing homegrown food is a social glue as old as humanity.
The abundance at harvest provides a special kind of connection to the Earth, and each other. The result is a more peaceful, authentic life for everyone.
To the kitchen! And a better future.
A happy, well-used kitchen.
ReplyDeleteA few books.
And tranquility.
What else does one need?
What indeed?
I no longer enjoy the privilege of growing my own food so I have settled for preparing most all of it myself. I have always struggled with a number of health issues; most harken back to childhood malnutrition. At the beginning of the pandemic I decided to take the opportunity of working from home to run a series of pretty rigorous elimination diets. Working with my GP (I happen to have one of the good ones), in the end the conclusion was very interesting - the diet that has left me feeling thirty years younger is essentially a modern version of the diet of my Indigenous ancestors. I have tossed all sugar, all grains and most legumes (I am allergic to legumes, especially soy, but can manage things like green peas, string beans - the younger the better) and, in the process, have also tossed joint aches, muscle aches, IBS, high cholesterol, stopped non-alcoholic fatty liver in its tracks and kicked brain fog to the curb. So, while so many others were being trodden down by the pandemic I was feeling better every day. At seventy-mumblemumble I actually feel far better than I did in my thirties. I am actually looking forward to keeping up my hour of walking every day through a Manitoba winter.
Right now I'm reading through Wendell Berry's essays. He also points out (so beautifully) that home is indeed the center of our universe and what happens there is of utmost importance to our well being.
ReplyDelete