Domesticity

In our study of A year of biblical womanhood by Rachel Held Evans,  we have moved from Gentleness to Domesticity. 

Domesticity seems to be about cooking and cleaning.  I've been taught well, in that I know how to both cook and clean.

I love to cook, it's one of my favorite things to do. Cooking relaxes me, it centres me. When I'm stressed I cook, when I'm sad I cook, when there's a crisis I cook. There is however a hitch with my love of cooking and that is that I like to cook for others, to feed others and to share food with them.  When it comes to cooking for one and looking after what I eat I'm not so committed.

Equally I know very well how to clean but I tend to leave the cleaning until I can ignore it no more.

I've mentioned before that I am suffering from depression and a 'side effect' of this if you like,  is loosing interest in your environment and yourself.  I know that right now the reason why im not cooking and cleaning is cause I just can't muster the energy.  When you feel low, when you wake up feeling sad for no particular reason,  every ounce of energy is invested in maintaining an air of normality,  of business as usual.  When you step out of the spot light and its just you again, feeling blue, you ask why bother,  what's the point?

I guess that the answer to this question is that I, like you,  am created in the image of God.  That as Julian of Norwich observed,  God made the acorn,  God loves the acorn, God cares for the acorn and the same can be said to us.

So my commitment for November is to continue my reading of the book of Proverbs,  to bake bread every week and to try a new recipe each week and to eat well. My Martha Stewart will be Mary Berry and Delia Smith.

I am also going to try to get on top of my cleaning!