Making Muffins by Hand

It's no secret I love to bake from scratch. It is therapeutic for me. I love to mix the ingredients by hand and create something that my family will enjoy. Yesterday my daughter and I were browsing a new baking cookbook. I found a recipe for healthy-ish muffins and told her I'd make them today.

After returning home from a four-mile walk outside in the almost-too-cold I headed to the kitchen to create. I left my phone and other distractions in another room, far enough away so I couldn't hear the constant noises it emits through the Periscope app, eBay sales and text messages. I needed the quiet.

So many times we fill our lives with noise. From the chatter of the television to the voices in our heads, it is hard to escape but I crave the quiet. I need the peace that silence brings. When I hear nothing I am able to think anything.

I dug into the recipe and added the oats, whole wheat flour, and brown sugar. I love brown sugar. The little balls it forms are the perfect size to pop onto my tongue and there I let it slowly melt away as I enjoy the flavor. One of my lifelong favorite simple pleasures. Today I plunged my hands into the mixture of those three ingredients and lingered as I found every little ball of brown sugar. I rubbed them together until they dissolved into sugar crystals and then mixed it all up. As I squeezed the sugar between my fingers I felt tension leave my body. As the silence surrounded me I felt peace enter my soul. These are the moments I enjoy most. When there is nothing to distract me from being able to simply be.

When was the last time you took a few moments to just be? To be quiet? To listen to the silence? This holiday season lasts a little too long for my energy level. I want to enjoy the parties and festivities, but I find it all exhausting. Probably because of all of the accompanying noise. Take time to rest and think. Make it a goal to spend a few moments of quiet time each day. Turn off the television and music. Step away from Facebook and Instagram.

Just rest and enjoy the quiet. It is refreshing and liberating.

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