Oatmeal Cookies

Let’s take a simple and traditional journey…but let’s think of it a little differently.

Clear your mind of any troubles; all those thoughts that furrow your brow, lingering and unwanted. Whether they be financial worries or relationship woes, let them go for now. All your aches and pains, whether they be slight soreness or an unwelcomed intruder harming your physical stability….forget them and leave them behind. All those unpleasant thoughts, are not necessary here – they serve no purpose in this moment…leave them behind.

Make note of family or friends that may like to hear your voice and plan to call or write to them. They miss you, and they may need your voice to bring them a smile. Better still, think of those that make you smile. Whose voice do you want or need to hear?

Next, take notice of the day: is it cloudy and gray or do the sun and the sky shout pleasantly with a brilliant blue? Is the twilight welcoming the moon or the sun? Is that rain or snow that is gently kissing the glass?

Breathe in; is the air warm and sweet or cool and crisp? Notice the life the air brings as it fills your lungs: feeding and nourishing with new energy. Breathe out and notice if you can see the breath fall from your lips like angels taking away all that is not useful.

Let your shoulders relax and your brow un-furrow. Spread your fingers open and stretch your hands. Feel your palms open up, ready to receive all the goodness you are about to create.

First, assemble your tools.

• 2 bowls, trusted and true. Experienced and versatile: ready and waiting
• A whisk that is firm yet flexible…it’s handle fits knowingly in your hand
• A set of measuring spoons that are true to the worn engravings carved upon them. Their integrity never failing
• A measuring cup ready for anything you want to fill it with; welcoming and never complaining that its contents are hot or cold, sweet or sour, dusty or wet. A rinse and a wipe and it’s ready again at a moment’s notice
• A wooden spoon that is worn but strong …it never tires and is always ready for the task
• Parchment paper that lives only for this moment. Freed from the darkness of its container, it comes to life to support you, however you see fit
• A baking tray (or 2): scarred and stained, it never fails the task at hand. Regardless of what the past did, it is ready with the experience and seasoning to face its next task
• An oven, preheated to 375 degrees F (190 degrees Celsius), ready to accept the alchemist’s concoctions; providing the heat to meld the ingredients and bring this joy to life

Next, assemble the ingredients that will come together and bond for the purpose of bringing a smile to the faces that will experience this treasure. They come together and create only happiness and hopefully joy…they will definitely create a smile.

You will need,

• 1 cup of melted butter
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar (packed)
• 2 eggs (preferably large)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I won’t blame you if you let a little spill over the measuring spoon)
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda (mixed with one tablespoon of warm water)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (it’s always interesting when your use thick sea salt)
• 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon (again, it never hurts to look away while pouring into the measuring spoon, over the bowl – a little extra goes a long way)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups of oats – the Quaker kind will suffice, but the brand is totally up to you
• Raisins and or nuts are optional. About a cup of whatever is all your choice…

These next steps will take you through combining these elements and taking you one step closer to your creation.

In the first willing bowl:

1. Bring together the butter, the sugars and combine the mixture to a consistent texture…creamy yet coarse, it will serve as the amalgam for this treat
2. Next release an egg from its shell, mixing it thoroughly. Repeat with the second egg…yes, one at a time, mix each in separately
3. Combine the baking soda and the warm water. Pour the mixture into the first bowl
4. Spill the vanilla generously and lovingly into the measuring spoon over the bowl with the sugar and the eggs (a little extra never hurts – no one is counting)
5. With the trusty whisk, mix the liquids together; breathing in the aroma from the bowl.

In the second bowl:

1. Combine the flour, salt and cinnamon (no harm here if a little extra spills in to the bowl). Fold the dry ingredients with the spoon. Start from the outside in and then from the inside out
2. Once you feel the dry mix is thorough, add the oats and continue to mix with the spoon…outside in and inside out
3. With the dry mix thoroughly combined, take the first bowl and whisk a few times to ensure any settling hasn’t separated the mixtures

Slowly and deliberately pour the liquid mixture in to the dry mixture – bowl one into bowl two. While pouring, think only of those things you love, gently ensuring the entire contents fall in to the soft powdery mixture below. Breathe in the cinnamon and vanilla, as they mix together and let the aroma clear your mind with a smile.

Whether you use the sturdy spoon or your trusty whisk, breathe deeply as you begin to mix everything together. Let no tension pass from your hand to the mix. Feel the love from the bowl and add to it your own joy and love.

While folding the ingredients, realize and understand that you are making everything one – each ingredient is only as successful, as happy, and as connected as those with which it is mixed. No one ingredient can stand alone and create the same joy. Yet every ingredient is very important in its own way. Together they achieve a common goal. But each must never forget their unique qualities that made that common goal possible. Breathe in and out deliberately, letting the energy of the moment intoxicate you in the most positive way. Be alive and feel the creation come together in the mix.

Line your baking trays with the parchment paper, and spoon out the mix into walnut sized drops – you decide on the size, after all it may be a recipe, not every step needs to be perfect. You should be able to fit 10 on the tray (2 rows of 4 with maybe 2 in the middle) depending on how you choose to divide the mix.

Bake for about 10 minutes (a little more or less is up to you), then take them out and let them cool on the pan for 5 more minutes. Let them adjust to the air; let them breathe. Then, once they have had a chance to acclimate to their new status and shape, you can move them to a cooling rack.

Now you can share and enjoy the treats of your labor. Throughout the process, if you felt peaceful and loving and left all tension elsewhere, you were very successful regardless of how the cookies turned out. Please remember, cookies are not meant to be perfect, they are meant to pleasantly distract and create smiles…and leave crumbs in you milk.

I hope this made you smile