Change is Good

In December of 2007, WSM Noah and I were in-spired to clean house. We started in the kitchen, my favorite arena to create and play.

We were cleaning and scrubbing and emptying cabinets and sifting through our collection of hurricane nonperishables and purging what was no longer needed. Everything in the cabinets had been emptied - cans and dishes were sitting on the counters.  All of a sudden, it made sense - we need to move things around.

When we first moved in, we emptied boxes and filled cabinets in a perfunctory way of getting things out of boxes and moving forward and dealing with the overwhelming process of moving into a house. Our pantry items went by the fridge and near the oven. Our dishes and glasses were kept by the sink and stovetop, on the opposite side of the room. We didn’t give it much thought. It seemed to work for us for a long time.

Come to think of it, it had always been irksome to pull out dishes right above our creative “working” space. And to reach across the kitchen for ingredients and spices instead of right nearby the cooking area. What were we thinking? The old adage of: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind. I had never really viewed my kitchen as sacred creative space before. It was a place to prepare and store food.

Over the years, thank Goddess, this perspective shifted. As I became more familiar with my body and its need for healthy and wholesome nutrients, I began to experiment in my kitchen space. I created delicious dishes based on pictures in books and recipes that I added to or substituted ingredients.

As the cupboards lay bare and clean and all this space was created, something clicked. A need, to make things easier and more in harmony, germinated and was fulfilled. 

We rearranged and moved the dishes to the other side of the room, away from the sink and “creation” space and brought back the spices and oils and yummy goodies that grace our pantry.   We placed dishes and glasses away from the stove and sink - on the opposite side of the room where anyone could have access without disturbing the chef.  

All of a sudden, everything fit. Everything was in its right space - making it ergonomically easier and user friendly. The kitchen just seemed to be fun again.

It is amazing how a little change can create such a shift in energy. The Chinese call this practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment: Feng Shui.

We now have a new space to play and are looking forward to cooking again in our kitchen.

Oh, the simple pleasures of life!!!