The thing about making jelly is
It’s a risky thing.
The experience is unpredictable.
One minute you have a spoon in your hand
Stirring the sticky liquid in the pot
Staring at the smooth surface
Wondering when it will gel
**
Without warning, you find yourself
Thinking about your worries
Worrying about your thoughts
Forgetting the jelly
Frothing to the rim of the pot
Gathering strength and density
Liquid thoughts like a substance
Which may or may not gel
**
Next, you’re in a meditation room
Listening to a voice say:
Don’t analyze your thoughts
Let them go. Let them pass
Thoughts are thoughts, not facts
Do not stop to judge them
Or be worried by them
Let them float out of your mind
**
If your back or arm aches
Or someone has hurt you
Don’t dwell on those thoughts
Let them pass, and float away
**
I return to the liquid on the stove
Just before the jelly boils over
Because making jelly requires this much:
My total attention.
Making jelly is a meditation
On the liquid in the pot, swirling
As my thoughts darken and thicken
And bubble and froth their way to the top
**
Did I say thoughts? I meant jelly
But maybe I meant thoughts
Thoughts are not facts! the jelly says
Let them go while you stay here
Watch me boil and swirl and stir, and boil
And swirl and swell, making bubbles.
You are here, the jelly says
So be here. Be present with me
**
So you stir and watch and wait
For that final moment
When the liquid becomes
That thick, sweet, slow-moving gel.
The thing about making jelly is
It’s a strange thing
The journey is unpredictable.
*
PHOTOS BY HAMLIN GRANGE
Cynthia Reyes 
I sense a bit of busy mind here. XD Actually I like the Zen approach to meditation by focusing fully on the task at hand. Bravo Cynthia!
I tell ya, sooner or later, making jelly cures me of busy mind, Brad. Or there’s a price to pay….
monkey mind transforms to Zen mind with jelly. Sounds like a fun book. XD
As unpredictable as humans.!!!
So true!
That’s definitely jelly for you. And if it burns it’s worse than burnt toast!
That’s for sure. and if it boils over, you’ll be cleaning a stove top forever!
Forever and a day!
Zen and the art of jelly making 😉 Great post!
Thank you, Benjamin. And for dropping by.
Wonderful post!!!
Thanks. Being a preserve maker yourself, I thought you’d like this.
Oh I love this post! And I’ll bet that jelly is soooooooooo YUMMY!!!!! Love and hugs, N 🙂 ❤
It is yummy. Except for the batch I allowed to boil down for too long (my excuse is that I got mesmerized by the jelly boiling) and it got a bit too sweet.
I enjoyed some of that marvellous jelly & now I have the zen to go with it!
Yay! Glad you liked that jelly, Sandra.
Hey Cynthia .. What a great post! I’ve been making that jelly with you 😉
Thank you! Do you make any preserves?
Sure do. Relish, chutneys, chilli sauce, preserve and freeze loads of fruit. And my fav, preserved lemons 🙂
Oh Cynthia! What a fabulous post! Mesmerized by the soothing stirring, cooking, setting and potting, I was simultaneously very aware of how often my daily thoughts (usually negative) keep on bubbling up to the surface.
Being in the garden quietens the worries down, but often I forget that- have you noticed how often we avoid doing the one thing which is really good for us?
Luckily for me (and for you, I think) the same channel which gets used for the worry also carries bubbles of joy to the surface. Those are the best; big, fat, happy bubbles of enthusiasm and joy!
You are so blessedly wise, Karen. Yes, I have noticed how often I avoid doing the one thing that’s good for me — like regular exercise, among other things….
I love your idea of bubbles of joy — because joy does sometimes bubble up to the surface, often taking us by surprise.
Ah mindfulness.. In my distracted ness I thought it read “mediation” 😊
I do that all the time. The words I read that simply aren’t there…..
I gotta tell ya, I thought I was about as mental as you can get, and making jelly totally consumes my thought process. Cynthia, you get some sort of award for having that much mental capacity. Add it to your wall with the Most Fantastic Pumpkin plaque. 😉
You learn to really focus on that jelly or you’ll have a mess to clean up, or the jelly hardens, or….
Thank you for the mindful reminder about paying attention. Very needed in this multi-tasking age! Also, that jelly looks delish!!!!
Hi Lori:
The two jellies I make are red currant jelly and apple jelly of various kinds. This last one is apple and double mint.
Sounds yum!!!
I’ve always enjoyed making jelly although I prefer to make preserves or jam. As for thoughts, mine tend to circle. I’d love to be able to at least stretch them out into a straight line once in a while. 😀 I love how you used the jelly making along with your poetic words to remind us all to give things our complete attention and to let go of lesser thoughts. Of course a lot easier said than done, as those ornery little thoughts continue to froth up and boil over.
So here’s why I make jelly, not jam: for some silly reason, I always think it’s easier, AND I have these old apple trees – well over a hundred years old, the large, tall kinds. They get laden. My husband makes pies and lots of other apple stuff. I make jellies and crepes with apple filling.
LOL…well now with apples, I’d definitely make jelly or apple butter. Does anyone (other than me) even eat apple butter anymore? You’re fortunate. I miss my old apple tree. 😀
I love apple butter. Always have.
“Watch me boil and swirl and stir, and boil
And swirl and swell, making bubbles.
You are here, the jelly says
So be here. Be present with me”
This is me lately! My husband is bcoming concerned-lol
It is not jelly it is everything…so this post is for me!!!
“Be present” with what I am cooking…for my thoughts wander too much:-)
Or I will set the house on fire!
It’s the time of year to be scattered. I used to think September was the real start of the year, not January. especially when my kids were younger.
I’ve screwed up so many times doing the simple act of making jelly, that I try really hard to be mindfully present…. but doesn’t always work, right?
so true! and I wander away with my thoughts:-) so to be “mindfully present” I have to concentrate-lol…I agree the year should start with fall-kids start school, fall leaves drop and pumpkins mark the start of everything fun!
Good advice! I’ve never made jelly but it sounds like it could be a pleasant experience,
It’s pleasant when it’s boiling.
And when it’s done.
And when it’s eaten!
It’s just all the other stuff in-between…..
I admire you so much being able to make jelly and think of other things at the same time. I become so nervous while making the stuff that no other thoughts intrude at all.
Hah! That’s the lesson I learned, after the darned thing boiled over. Making jelly requires one’s total attention!
Lovley photos and lovely writings! I never make my own jelly but I could easily replace the word jelly with knitting ( sort of;0)) have a lovley Sunday
Knitting. Yes!
Cynthia, now you got me drooling so wouldn´t mind if you send me some of your home made jelly.
Hah! You’re a funny guy, Charly.
Can so relate, as you know. In other news, my jelly turned out quite tasty and set up well, according to several different family members (remember, I really dislike grape jelly). This is good, because there is a TON of it. 😀
Hooray, Rose!
I’m so glad to hear.
I have often felt when I am cooking or baking and really invested in it – you know, “in the zone” as they say – that it is something akin to meditation. You and the bubbling fruit merge in your singular purpose, and in that, there is no judgment or fear, just you being calm and beautiful jelly. And beautiful it is! Great job.
I agree with Charly — start packing it up and sending it out to us all! LOL.
Jeanne
I’ve never made jam, Cynthia. I feel like I’m definitely missing something 🙂 Love your musings on jam/life.
I needed to be reminded to live in the moment. This was a lovely reminder!
Love the jelly, meditation does wonders for the mind and soul! 🙂
Love the jelly and love the thoughts that boiled over! 🙂 Such a relatable phenomenon. But this happens to me when I’m driving! 😦
Me too. So nice to hear from you.
I look at your preserves and sigh. Never made any but wish I could. My sister’s all make damson, blackberry and other jams and lots of gins and liqueurs. These look yummy. 🙂
But, Jane: I bet you can either cook or bake or both. All I can cook is jelly!
Cynthia, I can cook and bake but not done any for decades. I am mostly a veggie and I tend to eat food which is uncooked….I love salads and fruit so out of practice these days. No-one to cook for except me and it is no fun eating alone and cooking for one. I love jelly…like eating that by the cube too…naughty. 🙂
Yes! I don’t make jelly but I cook to take my mind off of a crazy day. Chopping vegetables does it. Beautifully said.
Chopping vegetables would do it. One must be mindful. Sorry for the radio silence lately, Kay. Been a stunning week.