Cooking as Meditation

Cooking for me these days has grown into something that gets me to a centered place as meditation often can and does. I am working like most people in an environment of stress, rapid change and high stakes for all concerned. I am bombarded every day by the overstimulation of modern life.
On the weekends and now more often during the week, cooking serves not just as a creative outlet, a means to eat well and to share good things with the people I love, which aren't small reasons to do anything. Above all, I cook to feel whole, to return to a centered place.
I can't help but believe that cooking gives me that feeling these days because the results are tangible, vegetables and other ingredients can be beautiful to look at, smell and feel throughout each step of the process. Cooking gives me beginning, middle, end in a task. My work these days is more often middle, middle, middle, middle....
I also cook to connect to my family who live farther from me than ever in my life. That's why I named this blog cook like a Lacagnina. I am a Lacagnina. I am so blessed with a family heritage of cooking with passion, precision, joy and generousity.
And now I am writing about my journey with cooking. I am putting this out to the world who doesn't yet know what cooking can bring in these complex, stress ridden times. I plan to include recipes, maybe even video cooking lessons. For now.