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Cream of Wheat Comfort
September Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Comfort”
Warming my soul with a bowl.
I didn’t grow up eating Cream of Wheat. It was a tradition that first started with my ex-husband when we lived in a small cabin on an equally small lake in the woods of northern Minnesota.
The first time he offered to make it, I replied, “Yuck! It looks gross!”
After a long night of drinking around a bonfire one night, he offered to make a large pot for all of us as a hangover cure.
I fell in love. With a bowl of Cream of Wheat. I added a pat of butter, a scoop of brown sugar, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Heaven in a bowl.
After our divorce, I didn’t make Cream of Wheat for years, not wanting to be reminded of the contentment we once held together.
A few winters ago, the urge to make a bowl on a cold winter’s day nudged me to purchase a box of Cream of Wheat again. My craving out ranked any hints of sadness.
Now I make this bowl of comfort for myself. But this comfort doesn’t just come from the bowl but in the act of making it. I never get the instant. Never make it in a microwave.
I stand over the stove, watching for the slow boil to begin. Stirring and stirring the milk to avoid the burn. The act of staying put in the moment as I slowly pour in the Cream of Wheat (don’t rush it or it will clump), continuing the stir for a minute or two until the right consistency is achieved.
I am comforted by giving myself a chance to enjoy the moment of stillness.
Inspiration
I want to see what comfort means to you. Share your photo and six words in the latest Six Word Photo Story Challenge prompt.
Some of my fave 6-word photo story writers
Mary Chang Story Writer, Penny Grubb, Sandi Parsons, pockett dessert, K. Barrett, Kim Zuch, Susan Alison, Sandi Parsons, Diana Lotti, B.R. Shenoy, Pulpo Viejo, Arwyn Clark, Dunelair, Krystal Mossbarger, David Acaster, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Kris Bedenian, keith Kennedy, Ian Hanson, Randy Runtsch, Barb Dalton 🇺🇦, JoAnn Ryan, L Burton, Kim McKinney, Denise Darby, Dunelair, Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages
About the Writer
Ellie is a freelance writer and editor from Minnesota. She is writing her first novel, a psychological suspense novel while finishing her MFA at SNHU.
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