The Joy of Creation

My last few weeks have been overflowing with irritating jobs that bring me little joy.  I've cleaned closets, drawers, clothes and rooms.  I've filled boxes with items to be donated or sold.  I've filled garbage cans with things we no longer want and are able to admit that no one else wants either.  All of this is necessary, but it really doesn't foster a sense of well being in me.  There is a fleeting sense of satisfaction or perhaps it's just relief that the job is done.  Either way, I have been craving a more creative task.

Yesterday, S8 asked for apples.  On the way home, after dropping M6 at a friend's house for a few hours of  play time, we stopped at the corner vegetable market.  We bought apples, a pie pumpkin and a basket of overly ripe tomatoes.  I practically danced out of the shop with my loot. 

I won't say that I made the best pumpkin cookies ever (although they were delicious).  Or that my pasta sauce is one that would rival an Italian grandmother's (It wouldn't.  I've got a long way to go in the gravy making department.)  I would say that I felt satisfied and joyful yesterday as I baked pumpkin then made cookies with it.  I was euphoric as I blanched, peeled and pureed tomatoes for gravy.  I practically danced as I mixed the pasta dough for spaghetti and took great pride in each crank of my pasta press and the pile of glorious noodles that poured forth onto my counter. 

Sometimes, taking time to cut, mix and blend is more than labor.  Taking time to create something from pieces of other things can help put the world back in order.  Sometimes, a plate of pasta and a cookie is a prayer.