Feeding the Brain by Emptying It

On Monday I spent about three hours cooking.  Well, cooking and other household tasks.  In the morning I piddled around trying to write, trying to think.  But thoughts and words eluded me.  Everything has been a muddle for me lately, and I am just starting to straighten things up in my own head.  Between earthquakes and tsunamis, radiation and airplanes, vacation and schooling, there has been quite a bit going on.

Somewhere around noon, I dropped everything else, put a good podcast on my iPod and took a long walk.  Then, after showering, I set to work.  I unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned the breakfast dishes first.  Then I made a tofu dip, which basically consists of cooked carrots, soft tofu, miso, tahini and soy sauce.  Following the dip, I made tofu parmigiana. After browning the big blocks of tofu, I cut it into pieces, and over a low light, I methodically breaded and fried twenty-five slices of it.  Then, after getting all of the pieces onto a huge baking sheet, slathered them with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  After that it was time to clean up the big mess.  In between the cooking, I did two loads of laundry too.  By the time the kids started coming in at about 3:10, I was smiling and ready for them.

All of that work took just under three hours.  The thing that was so great about the afternoon was that my brain was on hold.  I did not think about anything of consequence except food.  Well, food and laundry.  I spent the afternoon helping kids with homework and playing with them.  As dinner time came around, I was able to pop the big baking tray into the oven, boil pasta, steam broccoli and serve a fresh, homemade meal to my family.

I did not do any writing of note on Monday.  But I did feel the sweetest sense of accomplishment.  There will be other days for writing.  Some days emptying the brain of all thought is exactly the right answer.