Meditative Dinner Prep

There's a calm, a certain moment of peace and serenity, that settles over the cupboards and tables when the knives and cutting boards are set, the pans are filled with olive oil, the pots are filled with cold, unboiled water, and the chicken, tomato, and basil are all placed strategically around the counter. That moment, just before the oven is on and the stove is hot, that moment before the chopping and sizzling, that moment before the house is filled with the aromas of your toils, that you can step back, breathe, and truly appreciate the impending chaotic clanking of cooking and conversation that you, yourself, created.