Learning to receive
My friends find it hilarious that I have now been put at the mercy of relaxation, but being made relaxation's b*tch has an up side. There is plenty of time to think random thoughts and write them down. And plenty of time to read! Sadly I haven’t managed to do either of those things yet, as I was having a hard time getting comfortable, and struggling with basic everyday tasks. However, today was the first time in a long time that I have felt like my old self – I managed to do some cooking (with the help of my sister) and even baked a little banana muffin – see the photo above. I made pineapple chicken and curried red beans, and my sister did basmati rice and salad to go with it. We were pretty impressed with ourselves when we were done, and it was really tasty if I do say so myself.
One of the things I noticed today while we ate lunch is that food seems to taste so much better when it is made with love. I definitely mentioned this in a previous post, but I am now quite convinced of it. I noticed that when I cook for others, it taste almost as good as when they cook for me!! And definitely better than when I am just cooking for myself. Not because I don’t love myself, but because there is always an extra bit of love in there when you are making food for someone you love.
By “coincidence” I also had a chance to watch one of the short Goalcast © videos, by one of my favourite authors Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and something that she said stood out to me “girls are often raised to see love as only giving” and she goes on to say that “to love is to give and to take”. This is something I am learning as I am getting used to my fancy footwear here on the couch, even if I learn the lesson kicking and screaming every step of the way. You see – taking (receiving) is not something that I do very well. It is the kind of thing that I analyse to death, and I have even had long conversations in the past few days about how to take – because I am not even sure I am doing it correctly! And I definitely do not know how to do it with grace. So it was definitely a gentle nudge to me that there is as much love in giving as there is in taking. The fact that is that food which someone makes for me with love tastes so good – but in order to receive that love, I need also to receive the meal. I am still learning to accept so be patient with me. And sometimes I might hide out because taking (receiving) is exhausting!
I am including the link below for the video. This week, I will find out one way or the other about the surgery, and hopefully my mood will have recovered enough for me to do more writing. Let me just reach for another one of those banana muffins – that will definitely help!!
Big love from the couch!
https://www.goalcast.com/2017/08/09/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-kidnapped-father/