I have a sticky note on my kitchen cabinet. (Well, the truth is I have LOTS of sticky notes on my kitchen cabinets, bathroom mirrors, and the on the dashboard of my car – I can’t live without my sticky notes – but that’s not the point.) The point is this one sticky note, in particular, reminds me to do a simple exercise every time I begin to cook. This simple symbolic exercise helps me connect with my power. By power, I mean my confidence, my passion, my enthusiasm, and my commitment to the importance of making food for those I love. It doesn’t matter if it’s a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. When I am in the kitchen, I own it.
In the kitchen, I actually transform. I become bigger (and I don’t mean because I’m eating everything I’m cooking!). I become bigger because I’m reclaiming my physical space and presence. Think about it, we live in a world that forces us to be small. We get crammed into airplane seats, squished into work cubicles, and we shrink ourselves down when we are in stores and in public places. We have been conditioned to take up as little space as possible. It’s the world we live in. It’s our reality, and it may be our new normal. I understand, and I’m not fighting it. However, we all need a place where we can be BIG. For me, it’s the kitchen. It might be your home office, the bathroom, the basement, or the back porch. There are no rules. It’s a place that you feel empowered to fill up the space with YOU. You can’t be small to fill a space. You need to be BIG.
The fun, or funny, exercise I do to get BIG is actually a stretch. I plant my feet firmly on the ground in a power stance. I stretch out my arms to the sides and slightly upwards. Then, I lift my head towards the sky. This pose creates a 5-point star. As I stretch out, I feel myself becoming bigger. I acknowledge that I am a STAR. I am an enlightened, bright star radiating with a light that can fill a room. The entire exercise takes less than thirty seconds. It makes me smile and feel good. It may look silly, but in these days of pandemics and political strife, I’ll take a few seconds of feeling good whenever I can grab it!
After I acknowledge to the Universe that I am a STAR, I confidently own my space and make good things happen. The BIG me can accomplish so much more than the small me. When I get frustrated about a recipe not coming together or start making careless mistakes, it’s time to recenter and get BIG by becoming a STAR. I think everyone should be a STAR in their kitchen! Give it a try. What can it hurt? If you need to be reminded, make a sticky note like mine! Here it is:
🍳My Favorite Kitchen Tools and Products🍲
🍜My Favorite Baking Tools and Products🥧
🍰My Favorite Cookbooks🥗
