As some of you know I have been labouring under the effects of a nasty virus for weeks. In retrospect we think it was the flu, not just a cold. Late in the third week I took a turn for the worse–again, and pushing up against the long weekend I decided to do something desperately different to see if I could recover. I stopped. Well, my version of stopping.

I had just done a major grocery shopping trip and so I had food for the duration of the long weekend. Fortunately it was food that didn’t take loads of prep time and energy. My husband cooked salmon on the barbeque (grill) and we had simple vegetables with it. I made the leftover salmon into a delicious Nicoise style salad the next day. I made chicken breasts in the slow cooker according to my cousin’s recipe and again, it was simple but delicious. An eggplant recipe from my friend Sandra’s blog was deceptively easy and tasty. I slow cooked a pork scotch fillet roast and more simple vegetables. And for a couple of days we had the leftover meats recycled into salads and with more simple vegetables.

carrots and zucchini sauteed with thyme and butter

Salmon Nicoise style salad

Sandra’s eggplant

And I rested in between.

I’m not good at doing nothing. Everyone who knows me understands that about me. So let me explain what I did not do, so you will appreciate that what I did do was quiet time. I didn’t sweep or mop the floors. I didn’t sweep the outside areas, or work in the garden as I had planned. I didn’t go for my daily walks or do anything but a few stretches on a couple of mornings, when I felt like it. The other mornings I did nothing.

And rested in between.

Quiet activities included, reading, minimal cooking, a bit of washing and ironing in a very leisurely manner, and folding. I discovered a new book by Marie Kondo called Sparking Joy: An Illustrated Masterclass on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up . She teaches you how to fold things for more efficient use of space and care of garments. So at several intervals, with rests in between, I dragged things from shelves and folded. I had already done the onerous task of discarding, so the folding and stacking was a finishing stage. Minimal effort for maximum satisfaction.

And rest.

For ten minutes one morning I trimmed the bay tree of this year’s supply of beautiful leaves, so that I could dry them for the coming year of cooking.

And then rested.

Not surprisingly, I improved each day. The head finally cleared, the chest congestion began to go, and the ache in my back began to subside. I am nearly well again. The final bit of therapy was the making of Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Buckwheat cookies. If only I’d known that was the magic fix I would have tried that first 🙂

Chewy, gooey goodness, with Grandma’s ice cream scoop in background