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An annoyingly busy day was waiting for her. She had to cook a lot today. Then she had to prepare a little speech for the kids. She did not know what to cook. She did not know what to say.

She got out of the bed with a lot of anxious feelings and a bit of nervousness. She went to the kitchen to at least make the coffee machine work. Something had to start working already.

She had a relatively calm breakfast, but a quick one. She got up right after her last bite and started cleaning the kitchen up a bit. After she organized the kitchen in a way that would motivate her (she definitely needed the music to flow through her ears), she started cooking. She did the basic stuff first and then moved onto the core food.

As she was preparing the ingredients for that food, she wanted to shout out of stress. She opened her mouth, with her eyes filled with tears, but she stopped. She remembered the day she started cooking with her mom and what her mom had told her then.

Cooking is not a chore. It is a way to connect with and help people. Only if you do it with that intention can you truly enjoy it.

She had said the same thing later as well. This one was years later, when she was a young adult. She was expected to give the introductory speech at an event for the poor people of the neighborhood but she was too lazy to do so. She avoided doing this extra work. Then her mom had said:

Giving a speech like this is not a chore. It is a way to connect with and help people. Only if you do it with that intention can you truly enjoy it.

She also remembered that at this same event, she had cooked with pleasure. Apparently cooking was not a chore anymore. Speaking should not have been either.

That talk with her mom had fueled her and made her task more meaningful.

Now, rather than the music at the background, it was her mom’s words that were motivating her. They kept spinning in her head until the job finished.

Then, she sat down with her afternoon tea in her hand and the music in her ear. She was feeling the joy. Just like her mom had said.