Cookie Therapy

When my daughter Jeanne is having a rough week, we sometimes don't hear from her for several days running. When she pops back up, she'll tell us that she took some time for "Kitchen Therapy." She doesn't necessarily follow recipes. For her, time in the kitchen means creativity and making a mess and restoring order and having something special and yummy to eat. It helps her feel more centered and ready to take on life again.

I sometimes wish I was more like Jeanne.

Me? I don't much like to cook. But I do like to bake.

I had a short, restless night of sleep again. I woke up to falling barometric pressure and rain. I felt sad for no good reason. Those are all sure signs of a low-level depressive day for me. On days like this, I usually need to sit very still and do a quiet, creative activity.



But I had a hankering for oatmeal cookies. And not just any old store-bought cookies. Our favorite family recipe cookies (not an "original family recipe," per se, but the recipe we use most often in our family). So I made some. For no good reason. No special occasion. Just because.



Now I feel better. Dale says it's because it's not only cookie therapy -- it's aromatherapy.