I've been in a pretty good mood lately; my typical perky and bubbly self, successfully annoying my friend and coworker with my peppiness. But we all have our moments, and for whatever reason, as I was walking from the metro back to my apartment after work today, a little thought popped into my head that made me feel a bit out of sorts. That of course lead to another thought, and then another, and another, until a swirl of negative emotion had engulfed me like a venus fly trap and I had to keep myself from collapsing in a ball of tears on the side of Rockville Pike. I won't torture you all with what the thoughts were because 1. I hate internet rants 2. I PROMISE it's nothing serious 3. it's actually all very silly and 4. this swirl of emotion was most likely fueled in large part by PMS.
Still, fast-forwarding about an hour and a half to when I had finished my errands, I found myself back in my apartment, curled up on my bed, wallowing in self-pity. I still hadn't eaten dinner, had more to get done, and I wondered how I would ever get out of this funk or feel happiness again. I figured I would just lie there, soaking up my misery, and forget about dinner for the night.....
......wait a second. Pause and rewind. I hadn't eaten dinner. Suddenly the light of truth washed over me and a glimmer of hope had returned! When I don't have food in my system, any bad mood gets exponentially worsened to the point where it probably makes my future husband quiver in fear already, and we haven't even met yet (maybe he gets an innate feeling of dread/terror that he can't trace the source of but knows he should be afraid). So I figured it would probably be a good idea to get up and get some food. I would just heat up some Stouffer's mac 'n' cheese, chill for a few moments, then casually go back to trying to figure out my life.
But then suddenly, another idea: Don't be silly, Heather. You should actually cook something. Cooking makes you happy! That's right...cooking DOES make me happy! Not only can it be oddly calming, but it would also give me something else to focus on and think about. I decided to go for it. I didn't have many bare ingredients to work with, but I had just the right ones to make a quick and easy meal. I even got to toss vegetables in the frying pan (I'm practicing a new skill)! Sure enough, I was already feeling a little better as I started to make my veggie and egg scramble, then felt much better as I sat down to eat it (while watching an episode of Band of Brothers). It was a very simple meal to make, but it was just what I needed.
(Cooking makes me almost as happy as Spongebob flipping Krabby Patties. Almost.)
So the moral of the story is - cooking is my anti-drug. I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner, especially given the fact that yesterday I excitedly accepted the challenge to prep and bake cookies in just over an hour (a challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed AND successfully completed. I know, I'm a baller). I know that some nights I'll just be too tired to cook and will let myself curl up with an insta-dinner and a glass of wine, but I think I should really try to take my stress out in the kitchen more often. I love cooking, and it turns out it's one of the many things that helps keep me sane. And all my loved ones should love it, too, since they 1. occasionally get to reap the benefits in the form of free food and 2. get a break from having to deal with my insanity. I think that means it's time to have more cooking adventures...Bon apetit!
(I just couldn't resist putting this one in here)
Ron Burgundy pic from http://losingweightinthecity.com/2012/05/serious-reach-the-beach-withdrawal/
Spongebob pic from http://awordsmithsbrainworks.com/2012/01/22/an-undefined-number-of-reasons-in-no-particular-order-about-why-i-envy-spongebob-squarepants/
Cooking with wine pic from http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi04M2MyZjY1ZmY0NzQ1MTBk
No comments:
Post a Comment