January 2010

“Whenever you are sincerely pleased you are nourished” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

polaroid by Susannah Conway

We must have said it a dozen times over the weekend. The word ‘nourished’ tripped off of our tongues accompanied by gratitude and love. It amazes me how little we focus on nourishing ourselves – on checking in, creating meals with love, buying the best ingredients we can afford, sitting down together with thanks and awareness for our blessings – and either ignore our needs, or focus on the needs of others.

I came from a family that used to say Grace before dinner. In today’s increasingly secular western world it is a rare thing to still find someone saying a prayer over their meal. As I was sitting at our table on Saturday I felt the urge to say a word of thanks. I was overwhelmed by the effort that had gone into the meal. I wanted to say thank you to Leonie for cooking it, to the farmers for growing it, to the spirit of the plants and the animals that gave their life for it and for my friends who were sharing it with me. When you stop to think about how food gets to you, it is really quite incredible. We are so blessed.

I made a decision that day to try and remember to experience food in a more sacred way and to begin to be more consciously grateful for it. It’s quite hard at times. My piece of toast in the morning doesn’t get the same attention as a plate full of food, but it all takes practice. I firmly believe that gratitude is never wasted. I might not say a traditional prayer over my dinner, but if I can keep conscious as I eat it, I hope I can experience grace.