"Bliss comes out of chaos and the ability to enjoy chaos is enlightenment"

I am often a rather chaotic person... meaning, I do things in a rather haphazard way. To any onlooker, I will appear downright messy! But there is (sometimes) some sort of order in my chaos. Just how the chaos (or mess) affects my mind and functioning is something I realised just a few months ago... while cooking :)

I was preparing a meal for an important guest, Kashiji (visiting from India to teach a Yoga course in Munich) and several other guests - also very important - (I wasnt sure how many) who were going to accompany him and my husband back home after the yoga class. I wanted to (a) prepare several dishes, (b)make sure that they all tasted great (c) ensure that they were still warm and fresh when the guests arrived (I dont like re-heating food as I feel it kills the prana in the food) and (d) be all finished and place everything beautifully on the table before they arrived so they could eat immediately (they would, after all, be so hungry after the Yoga session!).

In my head I thought "this is nuts! How can I do all these things together? One or the other dish is bound to get cold as I would have finished preparing it first!" So I proceeded to do everything all at once! I set part of the table, cut half the veges for one dish, half for another, washed the rice, cut the rest of the veges, made the batter for the muffins, set the rice in the cooker to cook, finished cutting the rest of the veges for the 2nd dish... and so on and so on.... The kitchen looked like someone had turned it upside down. My brain might have looked the same if someone were to be able to look at it! To cut a long story short, following the utter chaos in the kitchen, a wonderful meal was ready by the time the guests arrived. While the table was not set, the kitchen was (somewhat) clean. In another 10 mins, the table was set and everyone gathered around to enjoy the food. I would like to believe that they were in bliss because of the smell and taste of the food, but I am sure it was the Yoga session with Kashiji that had them in that state already :)

This crazy chaotic session was similar to most of my cooking sessions. But for the first time I realised that this is how I deal with most of my life, including my PhD work. I try to do it all at once and end up in the midst of chaos! I told my husband this new insight into my way of working and he said... "yes, you should focus on one thing at a time." Very simple, good and practical advise - just like my husband! :) The next day, I watched myself work at my office desk. Indeed, my tendency was, again, to do half of one thing, then 1/3rd of another, 1/4th of a third thing... and so on... At that moment, my husband called me and said "this is just a friendly reminder to stay focused!" :D (yes, he is such a sweet heart! and a messenger from Guruji for sure!) I have been telling myself to finish one thing at a time at work since then and it has truly helped to keep my mind calmer at work.

A few days ago another thought hit me as I cooked. Although I am chaotic, I do finish the work and sometimes, the chaos leads to creativity... the downside is just that the chaos stresses me out. So if I am somehow able to enjoy the chaos, I can be creative, finish the work and enjoy the entire process! Perhaps I should let myself be chaotic sometimes and slowly learn the skill of enjoying the chaos... till then, maybe it is a good idea to be atleast a little systematic? Is that a good approach? Any further insights into chaos, order, creativity, bliss and the connection between these are welcome :D

Todays recipe: Carrot Coconut Toran (originally a Kerala recipe... I was never taught how to make it, but this is how I did it one fine morning and it tasted pretty good!)

Ingredients (for 4 portions):

8 carrots (shredded - using what we call in Hindi, a "kaddukas")
One handful of dried coconut flakes (or if you are have a lot of time and energy, fresh shredded coconut)
2 tsp of mustard seeds
15-20 currey leaves - chopped once or twice
1-2 dried whole red chillies (optional - avoid if u have high pitta)
1 inch piece of ginger (grated)
salt to taste
Ghee or oil to cook in

Method:

In a large frying pan, heat oil/ghee
Add the mustard seeds and wait till they splutter (do not burn!)
Reduce the flame/heat
Add curry leaves, coconut flakes, red chillies and ginger - stir it all in (20-30 secs)
Add the shredded carrot, salt - mix well (1 min)
Close the lid of the frying pan, wait for 30-40 secs and turn off the heat/flame. Let the carrots sit on the stove for 10 mins. The heat within the pan will cook the carrots just the right amount.
Serve immediately
(Goes really well with warm basmati rice.)