This week, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to practice better habits with my eating. I am probably getting this “opportunity” to practice because I am blogging about mindfulness this month. Thich Nhat Hanh says that if you ask for more patience, God does not grant you patience but circumstances for you to learn more patience. To me it feels like walking through mud with loose shoes on, but I think he’s right!
Last summer, when I was fasting in Thailand, I read Savor, a book by Thich Nhat Hanh. The fast was a success, and it was also a struggle to stay on it at times. I fasted for 11 days while there, and in the end I learned a lot about myself. During that time I took ownership of my self-sabotage, and I confronted and honored it with love and compassion. One thing which really stuck with me in the book Savor was the idea of the hungry ghost.
We’ve all heard it before, “chew your food until its liquid”; “don’t watch television while you eat”; and “put your fork down in between bites”; don’t eat fried foods, blah, blah, blah…