Eating Mindfully
While this new adventure has been splendid so far, one class in particular has stood out to me: my major, creative writing. Only four classes in, and I'm absolutely hooked on the subject. Not only do we explore writing techniques and learn to appreciate our voices and others', but there has also been an emphasis on a topic I wasn't exactly expecting.
Today, my teacher, Azar, led us out of the classroom, past the wall murals, and out onto the school grounds. We strolled passed the towering trees and several houses before arriving on the campus of Johnson and Wales University. The college is known primarily for its culinary arts program, but I personally think it should receive more acclaim for its gorgeous campus. Bees hummed merrily as we walked by lilac bushes and to bleachers set in front of a small outdoor stage. Slowly, we all found a seat and listened as Azar read us the poem From Blossoms by Li-Young Lee:
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.
From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.
O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom."
When she finished, I sat there in a stunned sort of silence. Azar went on to discuss the importance of
living in the present. This poem had taken a dive into the idea of truly enjoying food, and of being
aware while eating it. But this mindfulness doesn't only apply to peaches. So much of our lives
are spent pondering and working for an intangible future, a bright time we all envision to hold the
secrets to a happy life. We live for a future when we will suddenly understand every obstacle that has
been thrown our way, and will come to terms with our individual struggles. As humans, we are
constantly searching for that "...great big beautiful tomorrow" mentioned by Walt Disney's Carousel ofProgress. Now, don't get me wrong. The future is an exciting thing. I am no stranger to staying up far
too late, worrying about tomorrow's test, imagining a day of pure joy, or hoping that I'll make a new
friend. But the problem with this, in my opinion, is that it causes us to forget to live in the now. Nothing
will be as real later as it is right in this moment. Life is a gift, and I firmly believe that we should enjoy
every second of it.
Then again, I recognize the difficulty of appreciating
each moment of each day. For instance, I most
certainly did not enjoy making a fool out of myself
in dance class this afternoon (hip hop just isn't my
calling). Instead of brooding on my embarrassment,
however, I am making a conscious effort to let it
go. As the C. JoyBell C. quote goes, "You will find
that it's necessary to let things go; Simply for the
reason that they are heavy." Life is too short to sweat
the small stuff. And your life will never be any
better than it is today.
So here is my challenge to all of you. Go and eat a peach. Go and eat a grape. Go and eat a whatever-
the-heck-you-want. But don't just consume it, dear reader. Just like you want to see and not just look,
like you want to truly live instead of merely exist, taste instead of eating. Savor the bite of your
food. Think about its flavor and its texture. Chew slowly. Think about where that food came from.
Imagine the fingers that plucked the fruit from the tree, or the robot that packaged that almond butter.
Actually, don't imagine a robot. That's not romantic at all. But try to think of the origin of the food -
what a miracle it is that it has arrived in your hands after all it has been through. The peach in Lee's
poem spent months growing and ripening, surrounded by the birds tweeting a sweet song. The peach
has survived rainstorms and the paw of the hungry squirrel. That peach was picked by someone's long,
what a miracle it is that it has arrived in your hands after all it has been through. The peach in Lee's
poem spent months growing and ripening, surrounded by the birds tweeting a sweet song. The peach
has survived rainstorms and the paw of the hungry squirrel. That peach was picked by someone's long,
callused fingers. The peach has history; what an incredible thing that it has gone through all of that
simply for your indulgence.
In my humble opinion, mindfulness is the first step
to feeling in tune with yourself and the world
around you, gratitude, and above all, a good life. So,
my friends, I dare you to eat mindfully. Be in
touch with your body and mind. Enjoy each bite of
every meal and remember how lucky you are to be
lifting your fork time and time again for
another delightful mouthful.
Eat, laugh, love, and live mindfully.
- Maya
Photo by Manu Camargo on Unsplash, Photo by Tiago Felipe Ferreira on Unsplash,
Photo by Philipp Lublasser on Unsplash, Photo by Ben White on Unsplash,
Photo by Peter Hershey on Unsplash, Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash
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