Love On Yourself A Little

I’ve become quite the fan of Home Chef meal delivery service over the past year. Not only do I find the meals to be really simple to make, but they are super delicious! My husband was out of town for most of the day today, so after I did a few business-related things online, I decided to cook one of my Home Chef meals that was delivered this week--mushroom stroganoff. I eat a vegetarian diet 80% of the time, and the other 20% of the time, I incorporate some seafood into my diet. I love mushrooms and the flavor that they add to so many dishes, but I’m also super cautious about cooking with them after having suffered a horrible case of food poisoning earlier this year after I cooked with some mushrooms that had apparently gone bad.

As I was cooking tonight, I started to feel a little lonely. Listening to slow Christmas songs on Amazon Music probably didn’t help my loneliness. I thought about how nice it would be to share the meal that I was cooking with someone. In the age of Skype, Google Duo, and FaceTime, nothing can replace face-to-face interaction, for me. I called my Mom, but she was already in bed, and my sister had already gone back home.

I could have sat there and continued moping about the fact that I was home alone, but instead, I decided to truly savor my moment of solitude. I ate the meal that I had cooked and truly tasted it. I turned on Amazon Prime Video and watched a really good Christmas movie. Ya know, one of those really sappy Christmas movies that makes you tear up and think about how beautiful life really is? And lastly, I decided to write this blog post. I’ve always loved writing, and I see my blog as a way to help others heal. I was lonely at first, but then I realized how much I needed to be alone this evening--to rest, recharge, and reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going because so many exciting things lie ahead. There's still nothing like being around people, but I've learned to treasure moments when I'm by myself, too.

Take some time today to love on yourself a little bit and prepare for all of the good things that are in store for you. Take care, and Happy Holidays!

Cooking is therapy. Mushroom stroganoff for the win!