March 10, 2021 “Who’s cooking tonight?” my friend asked, knowing that my husband, Adam, cooks dinner as often or more often than I do. “We’re cooking together,” I responded. “Right now, I’m chopping veggies and getting the rice cooker going while Adam works on the chicken.” “Awwwww! That’s so cute,” my friend replied. “I love that you two cook together.” “Cute? We’re hungry! We want to make the food as fast as possible so we can eat the food as soon as possible. This is an efficiency thing.” I was thinking about my friend’s assessment the next time Adam and I cooked together. While the main purpose of our cooking combination is, in fact, efficiency, it is sort of cute. When we cook together, Adam and I chat about our days, we playfully joke with one another, and we’re constantly making physical contact with one another, even if it’s just our shoulders touching as we cross in the narrow space between the refrigerator and the kitchen table as we go to or from the pantry. We both really enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes and types of foods. It’s one of the few hobbies we have in common. While cooking is essentially a necessary task and part of running our household, cooking together is also a way we share our love. It’s time for us to devote to ourselves and our relationship. I’ve been trying to incorporate that same concept in my spiritual life. I’ve been trying to find ways to take everyday moments and tasks and use them to develop my relationship with the Lord. I typically don’t find tasks like folding laundry (second worst job in household maintenance, in my opinion; the worst is putting the laundry away) to be mentally stimulating. Normally, my mind just wanders while I’m completing tasks like that. I’ve been trying to use those tasks as opportunities for prayer. It may not be the deepest prayer in my day, but they’re moments just to express gratitude, to tell my Lord what’s on my heart or to just listen. Just like cooking with my husband is an opportunity for us to develop our relationship, folding laundry, washing dishes, commuting or completing any of the other mundane tasks can be opportunities to develop my relationship with the Lord. To me, any opportunity to develop that relationship is beautiful. Though I still wouldn’t call it “cute.” |
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