You don’t have to meditate to be deeply immersed in the moment. Today a friend and I cooked deep dish breakfast pizza in our daughters’ classroom as part of their social studies curriculum. As we discussed Midwestern cooking and the history of pizza with the children we existed truly and only in the moment. There were simply no other thoughts, no other distractions. We existed as a unit with the children. The children in turn really enjoyed the non-standard classroom routine of chopping bacon and ham (and tasting some), scallions, mushrooms and peppers, then mixing eggs and ricotta cheese, and spreading it on the premade pizza crust. Transforming a few ingredients into a delicious dish is so creative and rewarding. Best of all for me is watching the smiles on teacher and parent volunteer faces as the cooking smells begin to waft across the classroom and out the door into the hallway. Simple things can become incredibly rewarding when done deeply, and they are as meaningful as meditating, and just as in-the-moment.

holistic living and artisanal cheese - what do they have in common?

This blog is about holistic living, which for me is authentic living. Take the difference between processed cheese and artisanal raw milk cheese (or the difference between a Twinkie and a homemade oatmeal cookie). Raw milk cheese is authentic cheese, the way cheese was originally made from simple ingredients that came straight from nature, while processed cheese is an industrial factory-made product that emulates cheese. When I am talking here about authentic living it is about deep living, life with all its emotions, joys, sorrows, life beyond material acquisitions and the rushing around from one activity to the next, a life true to who we are.

Life, to me, is about finding your true self through interaction with people and your environment. There is something deeply satisfying about spending quality time with friends and family, a satisfaction we can’t quite recreate through the purchase of a new dress or earrings. Much has been written in recent years about living in the moment. When I cook for example I am so self-absorbed that I forget everything around me and am only aware of what I am making. That is when I truly live in the moment. That is deep living, or holistic living, or authentic living. It is meaningful and satisfying.

Stay tuned for more.