It was oatmeal for breakfast and lunch last Monday because I was on a quest to upgrade my experience.
One of the many things I’ve learned from my lovely friends is how much small details can make a difference. As I’m learning the gifts of disciplined routine, I’m taking a page out of their book and looking for ways to create ritual and indulgence (I do dearly love both ritual and indulgence). When routine is elevated into something a little extra-special it makes it something to look forward to and a joy to stick with. For me, the ritual that’s nourished me the most thus far is my morning bowl of oatmeal. I’ve been relying heavily on canned foods and microwaves during this season of healing because it was the easiest way to make sure I got fed. But now, as I’m moving back into more balance, I’m ready to return to fresh fruits and veggies and stovetop cooking (because microwaves kind of freak me out even as I’m grateful for them).
Honestly, I didn’t even know how to make stovetop oatmeal before last Monday. Back home I just poured boiling water over raw oats and here I’ve used the microwave. The great discovery that the microwave yielded was how much I greatly preferred the delicious cooked oats, even from a microwave! So the trick was to learn how to make stovetop oats with the same creamy consistency I’d come to love from the microwave but without all the freaky gamma rays. The first stovetop breakfast was a disappointment - too chewy. (I like my oats as a runny porridge). But I tried again during Monday’s lunch, this time with a mini-dutch oven. I picked up the little vessel for only a few bucks just for making breakfast time special… and I *nailed it* my second time around with a rewarding bowl full of creamy goodness.
The tiny dutch-oven is my gift to my morning routine. It’s a way to elevate my experience, to make standing and stirring at the stove feel indulgent and worthwhile, and to make eating feel more indulgent and nourishing as well. It’s keeps my food piping hot through the whole meal and it’s just the right size for a single-serving that fills to the brim so that it feels like a liberal portion. (Seriously, one of my favorite life hacks of all time is getting smaller plates and bowls so I can pile them up high and feel super indulgent about my full dish, while not eating more than I need). This little addition paired with dialing in my procedure (thanks to a quick internet query) yielded a really exciting bowl of oatmeal for my lunchtime experiment, leaving me so excited for many future breakfasts to come.
I used to endlessly drag my feet when it was time to go to bed and ride my night-owl tendencies deep into the night. This was partially because of the second burst of energy I’d get each night, but also equally because I dreaded starting my day the next day (starting days is hard for me). Now, I can feel that changing. When I told Benjamin that I’ve been surprised that I go to bed at night with an eager anticipation about waking up the next day to savor another morning ritual, he smiled and wasn’t at all surprised. He said that’s how he’s felt about his morning routine for a long time. ♥︎