In my hut this spring
There is nothing—
There is everything!
~Yamaguchi Sodo
Everyone thinks she is supposed to be perfect, but that is not the point of becoming mindful. It is the commitment to return to the bite, the moment, the direct experience of eating. That is the intent of a mindfulness practice. No matter how many times we leave the experience and no matter how many times we judge ourselves, we make a commitment to return to the direct experience of eating.
~Ronna Kabatznick
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This morning I glanced out of the sliding glass door and saw a chipmunk sitting on my terrace. As my cats will attest, there are several of them that scamper back and forth. So it’s not unusual to see a chipmunk or two scurrying around out there. But the reason I noticed this chipmunk was because he was not scampering; he was just sitting. Just sitting and watching. I felt compelled to watch him watching.
I saw his dark eyes seeing as he slowly turned his little head. Instead of the familiar and quick “What’s that?” or “Is that danger, gotta run” head movements, I watched him taking his time, gazing at what there was to be seen.
Then a thought popped into my head. “Oh no, maybe he’s hurt, and that’s why he’s not darting away. Maybe I should do something to help?” I became aware of a sensation of tightness in my chest, and I recognized [private_membership circle]that I was no longer seeing the chipmunk seeing, but I had drifted into thinking thoughts about the chipmunk. Choosing to indulge these thoughts, I brought my awareness to the chipmunk’s breathing and noticed the steadiness of the up and down motion of his back as he breathed in and out.
Reassured that he was okay, I brought my attention back to watching the chipmunk watching. I saw the sun shining on his back. I watched him blink and see, and blink and see again. He turned his little head and looked across the terrace, up the wall, and up into the trees, seeing what was in front of him and around him.
And then, in a new moment, he dashed off.
Invitation: At the beginning of your next meal or snack, take a moment to allow yourself to see what is there to be seen. Noticing colors that may be bright, contrasting, dull. Seeing surfaces that may appear opaque, glistening, uneven, or smooth. Seeing the various shapes and patterns of the foods on the plate. If you notice that your mind has drifted to thinking –perhaps thoughts about the food or about your To Do list — as you are able, come back to the moment, back to simply seeing the food that is in front of you. And then, when you are ready, open to experiencing the food with all of your other senses, including your heart. Moment to moment, seeing, smelling, tasting, savoring, and appreciating, as if this is the first time you have ever experienced this food. And realize that actually it is.
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Nutrition therapists Amy Tuttle, RD, LCSW and Karin Kratina, RD, PhD provide no-diet articles and resources including “Stay Attuned: The E-zine for Nourishing Connections” at their Nourishing Connections website. www.nourishingconnections.com
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