My partner has told me on numerous occasions that he hardly recognizes me anymore. These statements often come after presenting him with a homemade chicken pot pie, whipping up a delicious and nutritious buddha bowl, or making from-scratch pancakes

The stories we tell ourselves have an ungodly amount of power over us. Recently, I watched a talk by Brene Brown on Netflix, and she discussed the stories we tell. We do this as a way to explain a phenomenon, to protect ourselves, and to make sense of the world around us. But man are they powerful, and often wildly inaccurate.

For the the entirety of my “adult” life, I’ve unashamedly told friends and coworkers how much I hate to cook. Hate it. I’ve grown accustomed to rationing my Chipotle burrito bowl to get 2 meals out if it, profess my love for DiGiorno, and readily accept Goldfish for dinner.

I am fully aware that my nomadicism hasn’t helped this issue, as I’ve never felt comfortable in a kitchen, entirely didn’t have access to one, or didn’t know my way around the local grocery store depending on which city I was currently in.

On a sunny weekend morning a couple of months ago, I slept in, opened the pantry, and excitedly made the decision to make a little veggie brekkie scramble. I sliced up my sweet potato, diced some onion, green and red peppers, and threw in some kale. I fried some eggs, sprinkled some cheese on top – and voila. And then it dawned on me that this is something that “a person who likes to cook” would do. What does that mean?!

By this point, I’d settled into my new space in Charlottesville, Va. I’d have the time to find my few kitchen gadgets their new home, refine a list of basics that I like to keep my new kitchen stocked with. And I recognized the following philosophy play out in my life:

If you create space for it, it will come.

What false stories do you tell yourself? Maybe some of the following sound familiar:

I hate to exercise. I’ll never be able to afford the things I want. I don’t deserve love. I’m bad at working/parenting from home. My creativity will be stifled and die before this coronavirus is over.

What in your environment can you change so that a part of you can flourish?

A quote from Jen Sincero because I just love this woman’s thoughts and ideas:

Our entire experience on this planet is determined by how we choose to perceive our reality.

So while I may still willing choose Goldfish for dinner on an occasional night, I am also capable of throwing together Spaghetti Carbonara and a mean breakfast burrito. Has cooking been a welcome source of creativity and inspiration for you during our new and unusual social-distanced times? Check out what I plan to whip up in the coming weeks!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019034-garlic-braised-short-ribs-with-red-wine