So often when I have some time off I begin to think about what I need to do or should do.
Funny thing, sometimes even the things I do for enjoyment can begin to feel like a chore, or something that I must check off the list.
Today I decided to take some quiet time to be, rather than to do.
I had borrowed four cookbooks from the local library, and just sat there to flip through them all.
One was about cuisine from Gaza, two about Scandinavian cooking, and one with Mediterranean recipes.
The Scandinavian and Gaza cookbooks were most fascinating to me, as I already have had a good bit of experience with Mediterranean food.
If I make any of those recipes and like them, I’ll try to share about them in the future.
Beyond giving me inspiration for my own kitchen, though, those cookbooks provided a sort of imagination vacation in which I was able to picture places a world away. It was as if I became a part of those lands, those sights, those flavors, and those other realities, just for a few relaxing minutes.
While I don’t often read hard copy cookbooks – as I prefer to create my own recipes inspired from experience, or learned during my travels, or simply find inspiration from the internet – I am very glad that I picked those up from the library. It will probably be something I’ll do again in the future.
Taking time away from screens, tasks, chores and the nagging feeling that I should be “accomplishing” something, was a beautiful moment: something I should do more often.
As much as I love technology and the internet, I have to admit that screen-free moments in which to think and dream are precious, refreshing, and rejuvenating. It allows the mind some space to create and imagine, without too much noise or distraction.
So, dream on, friends. And enjoy those peaceful moments.
*Please note that none of the photographs in this post are my own work, but rather were found on Pexels.com and Pixabay.com.
Susy's Home and Hearth 