Gratitude

It is by no coincidence I’ve felt the desire to write on this subject the day before the holiday centered around thanks. Over the past week, I’ve found myself eating quickly and moving on to the next thing. No moment of savoring the food or appreciation for all the work that was done to bring it to my table.

Extreme Thanksgiving

A.J. Jacobs wrote a book around a remarkable idea, thanking every person involved in the making of his morning cup of coffee. You may think, “Okay so the coffee shop and barista. Done, right?” If you’re particularly clever, you may think okay there’s also the farmers who grew and harvested the beans and the company that shipped the coffee around. The book, however, takes the idea to the extreme.

What about the equipment used to farm, ship, process, and make the cup of coffee. A.J. thanked the people who provided the materials for those. Then there’s the pest prevention company that kept the beans protected during storage and shipment.

While you don’t need to head to the farm or track down the manufacturer of the silverware used for a meal, I think recognizing that the list of all factors that go into creating a single dish are near incomprehensible. This is a good habit at any time, but especially on a day committed to gratitude.

Mindful Eating

In college, I was in a class called positive psychology. In the class, we had a practice called “mindful eating.” It was a mixture of pleasure and “pain” as we took different foods and really processed every element.

There were foods that eating slowly felt right. Letting the flavor and texture change by simply letting it breakdown and savoring it was satisfying. Other foods not so much. As it sat in the mouth it formed into a nasty flavor. The texture grew worse and worse, but we weren’t supposed to swallow for a few minutes at a time.

This is again a situation where daily practice isn’t necessary or even recommended. We all know  we should slow down when eating. Often, I find myself mid-meal thinking I need to slow down and enjoy what I’m eating, but moments later will start scarfing the plate down trying to get to the next thing in my day. It could be lunch at work or dinner at home.

With the holiday tomorrow, I really want to focus on the meal I’m sharing with family. All of the effort that was put in to feed me and those celebrating with me. Taking my time to savor that effort.

Thanks for your continued support in what I’m doing here! This has been a fun project for the past year and a half.