Daily Question, January 8 How might I experience my meal when I truly ponder the people, animals, plants, and weather whose efforts brought me this nourishment? 41 Reflections Share Click here to cancel reply.Please log in or Create a Profile to post a comment. Notify me when someone replies to my comment via e-mail. Becca6 years agoBeccaI have always struggled with food because to me it’s always possible I will be in pain after I eat due to anxiety related stomach problems. But if I say a little prayer beforehand and afterwards, it helps me to appreciate what I have, and it often decreases the anxiety and prevents the stomach ache. I think adding the element of gratitude for those who produced the food would intensify the prayer and make it more meaningful longterm. 0 Reply KC6 years agoKCWhat beautiful reflections???????? I will take more time with grace before meals, and practice more mindfully considering the many sources and hands which have brought the ingredients to my hands and body. I guess that includes more mindful habits around shopping and food preparation as well … 0 Reply Doreen Nixon6 years agoDoreen NixonI have begun to thank my food and ask my body to receive the nutritional value of it. It is an act that brings you into Oneness. To honor your food brings you into a state of respect and love. 2 Reply elizabeth ward6 years agoelizabeth wardSaying grace would take on a whole new meaning, like sitting on a magic carpet and visiting all the people and places that had a hand in preparing what is on my plate There is a special scratch behind the ears for the sheep who provided the milk for the delicious feta cheese. 7 Reply Sylvie6 years agoSylvieThat’s a beautiful idea with the magic carpet. I also thought right away of my young clients, they would love this approach to their food. Thanks for sharing, dear Elizabeth. 1 Reply elizabeth ward6 years agoelizabeth wardThank you Sylvie. I love the thought of a crowd of chilcren being on the magic carpet with me. 2 Reply warmerboy6 years agowarmerboy我会感恩，大自然带给我的美妙和生命力，谢谢这造物主造出的一切。 0 Reply Erich6176 years agoErich617I am pretty conscientious about planning and preparing my food. I buy almost all of my produce from a farmers' market and even make sure to buy from the growers who are located closest to me. I grow my own herbs, which I find very gratifying. I make items like seltzer water, peanut butter, and vegetable broth rather than buying them. I plan meals to avoid any food waste. I don't know that I experience my meals more differently, however. I know people who say a little prayer before eating, ... I am pretty conscientious about planning and preparing my food. I buy almost all of my produce from a farmers’ market and even make sure to buy from the growers who are located closest to me. I grow my own herbs, which I find very gratifying. I make items like seltzer water, peanut butter, and vegetable broth rather than buying them. I plan meals to avoid any food waste. I don’t know that I experience my meals more differently, however. I know people who say a little prayer before eating, and I admire this very much, but I have never remembered to do it consistently. I know that this is a tenant of gratitude and mindfulness, but I have always struggled with it personally. Read More4 Reply Ms. Awesome6 years agoMs. AwesomeI am so thankful and have much gratitude for all the work and effort put into this “single “meal!!! Although I never dwell on it for any length but just stop and think I think these people are underpaid! 2 Reply Doreen Driscoll6 years agoDoreen DriscollWith a keen sense of awe and appreciation. savoring each meal as GIFT….. 2 Reply Ivonne6 years agoIvonneIt would add a more profound enjoyment beyond the pleasurable sense of taste, and the awareness of nurturing my body. It would make the experience more than just physical. 2 Reply GT6 years agoGTTo put my hands together in thanks and say in Japanese “itadakimasu,” I humbly received this nourishment. 5 Reply KC6 years agoKCThank you! ???????? Beautiful word and gesture… 0 Reply Ose6 years agoOseItadakimasu. 1 Reply Javier Visionquest6 years agoJavier VisionquestYoga means union. Every single cell in our bodies is connected intimately through, first, the breath and through the nourishment we take in as food. Too often this food is brought from thousands of miles away and comes with a hefty ecological footprint, particularly that of petroleum, but also at the expense of our collective birthright of clean water, fresh air, and living soil. As I ponder the people, plants, animals, and climate that support our physical presence the more grateful I am for l... Yoga means union. Every single cell in our bodies is connected intimately through, first, the breath and through the nourishment we take in as food. Too often this food is brought from thousands of miles away and comes with a hefty ecological footprint, particularly that of petroleum, but also at the expense of our collective birthright of clean water, fresh air, and living soil. As I ponder the people, plants, animals, and climate that support our physical presence the more grateful I am for learning to appreciate, forage, and utilize the local and wild abundance that is readily available in even the marginal areas of land near my home. Read More3 Reply Bree6 years agoBreeTaking a moment to give thanks and truly appreciate every bit of work that went into making it possible to have that meal put perspective on how we take such simple things for granted. So I will say with gratitude and deeper sense of appreciation and mindfulness. 4 Reply Hot Sauce6 years agoHot SauceI can remember that everything is interconnected and interdependent. Just now, I ate some pizza rolls. People worked in a factory to make the food and worked on farms to make the ingredients. Animals manage the number of plant predators so that the crops can remain, and the cows are milked to produce the cheese. The plants and the weather are deeply connected, and bacteria have created the atmosphere so that rain could nourish plants. When eating, I can remember the interconnectedness of all thi... I can remember that everything is interconnected and interdependent. Just now, I ate some pizza rolls. People worked in a factory to make the food and worked on farms to make the ingredients. Animals manage the number of plant predators so that the crops can remain, and the cows are milked to produce the cheese. The plants and the weather are deeply connected, and bacteria have created the atmosphere so that rain could nourish plants. When eating, I can remember the interconnectedness of all things and appreciate that. Read More2 Reply Michael6 years agoMichael“Animals are my friends. I don’t eat my friends.”, — George Bernard Shaw. (Sorry, just had say it. I am reading “A Plea for the Animals”by Matthieu Ricard.) 5 Reply Erich6176 years agoErich617I have been vegan for just over five years, and I limited my meat consumption for several years prior. I can get self-righteous about it sometimes, which is neither patient nor virtuous of me. The thing is that it’s so simple to do and makes so much sense to me, and I have really experienced nothing but positive benefits. 1 Reply Sheila6 years agoSheilaDear Michael, that touches my heart! I became a vegetarian about 6 years ago. Thank-you f0r your sharing! Peace and blessings.???? 1 Reply Shelley6 years agoShelleyWith presence and gratitude 2 Reply grateful sea6 years agograteful seaSlowly. With true wonderment and overwhelming gratitude, as I am blessed every single day with beautiful whole food. Om, beloved Mother Nature! With tears for those who have not. With growing intention to be part of the solution to hunger. 4 Reply Aine6 years agoAineWell, I think for one thing I would be more diligent about seeking out more Fair Trade products. Having those who produce goods in other countries less rich than ours paid a fair wage boosts their standard of living and provides new opportunities in education, met needs, and human dignity. I might be more conscious of this than most as my husband and I used to grow produce organically to sell at market, having raised the plants from seed. When you know what it took for that gleaming heirloom... Well, I think for one thing I would be more diligent about seeking out more Fair Trade products. Having those who produce goods in other countries less rich than ours paid a fair wage boosts their standard of living and provides new opportunities in education, met needs, and human dignity. I might be more conscious of this than most as my husband and I used to grow produce organically to sell at market, having raised the plants from seed. When you know what it took for that gleaming heirloom beefsteak to appear on the table, it changes things somehow. Read More4 Reply grateful sea6 years agograteful seaOne of my very favorite parts of summer…. all the varieties of fresh tomatoes, and especially heirlooms with their many shapes, colors, and tastes. At the top of my list is Cherokee Purple! 1 Reply Aine6 years agoAineOh, I could bore you to statue with Tomato Talk! There are so many wonderful ones out there. Try Gold Medal next to Cherokee Purple on a platter. Wowzers! I found one of our absolute favorites through love for a dear woman who was my spiritual grandmother growing up. Her name was Aunt Ginny, so when I saw Aunt Ginny's Purple as a name, I had to have it. (Purple in tomatoes is a WIDE ranging term! This one is more a deep pink.) Although I cannot recall her growing tomatoes, so I know it wa... Oh, I could bore you to statue with Tomato Talk! There are so many wonderful ones out there. Try Gold Medal next to Cherokee Purple on a platter. Wowzers! I found one of our absolute favorites through love for a dear woman who was my spiritual grandmother growing up. Her name was Aunt Ginny, so when I saw Aunt Ginny’s Purple as a name, I had to have it. (Purple in tomatoes is a WIDE ranging term! This one is more a deep pink.) Although I cannot recall her growing tomatoes, so I know it was not hers, the variety turned out to be much like her. It is sweet, solid, a super tough reliable performer, and an abundant blesser of fruit! It is a perfect all rounder, early for a beefsteak, produces all season, and works well for multiple uses — sandwiches, salads, canning, sauces, salsa…you name it! Read More0 Reply kathleen6 years agokathleenI can appreciate the taste and enjoy my food as I am grateful for the labor and effort in producing it. 3 Reply Michael6 years agoMichaelI am grateful. When we bless the meal, we give thanks for the miracles and the sweat involved 4 Reply Pilgrim6 years agoPilgrimA few years ago I was very sick and my weight bordered on dangerously low. It took far too long to diagnose correctly, until a very fine doctor - who listened, attended closely to the labs, and asked all the right questions - figured it out. I am more than grateful to her, her gifts and training that helped to bring about this awareness. They also provided nutrition counseling and therapy as I began treatment and my lifelong eating regimen. I have just recently reached normal weight. I am gratef... A few years ago I was very sick and my weight bordered on dangerously low. It took far too long to diagnose correctly, until a very fine doctor – who listened, attended closely to the labs, and asked all the right questions – figured it out. I am more than grateful to her, her gifts and training that helped to bring about this awareness. They also provided nutrition counseling and therapy as I began treatment and my lifelong eating regimen. I have just recently reached normal weight. I am grateful to those that continue to research and develop/grow healthy and organic foods that I can eat. I am grateful to restaurants, few though they are in my area, that can work with the limitations, who don’t buy their food already made from another source, and markets that carry real foods. I am ever grateful to my family and friends who have supported me in this often tenuous, sometimes frightening, journey back to relative health. Read More6 Reply grateful sea6 years agograteful seaDear Pilgrim, I feel happy to read that you have reached a milestone on your journey of healing. Thank you for sharing part of your story. I have been on a similar path for several years rebuilding my health after crisis and have become so grateful that nutrition is a big part of the puzzle that I was able to take into my own hands after learning how. 0 Reply Aine6 years agoAineThat can indeed be tricky, Pilgrim. I well understand the struggle with restaurants, and of course pot lucks in the midwest lands of wheat and dairy are a minefield! My husband and I both cannot tolerate wheat and have to be extraordinarily careful with dairy as there is but little of that we can eat, too. (Organic and no rBGH or rBST sources are tolerated much better.) When you find places that understand and work with dietary restrictions, it is indeed a cause for gratitude! 1 Reply 1 2 Next » My Private Gratitude Journal Write an entry in your private gratefulness journal Get Started This site is brought to you by A Network for Grateful Living, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are fully tax deductible in the U.S.A. CONTRIBUTE https://demo.gratefulness.org/content/uploads/2015/03/GX-Gold-Participant-L.png Community Engagement Guidelines Privacy Policy [email protected] Connect with us on Social Media: © 2000 - 2024, A Network for Grateful Living Website by Briteweb
