A Reflection

I have been meaning to post on the retreat since getting back but, with the bad ankle and jumping back into teaching, I put it off.  I have been reflecting on the hustle and bustle of life and really thinking about the change in my relationship with food over the years.  Dear Chef was able to join me on the last day at the retreat and he was as moved by the mindful eating at the retreat as I was, particularly the Five Mindfulnesses of Eating.

At each meal one person would read or quote this reminder before we ate our food.  It brought both a sense of gratitude and an awake presence during the meal.  We thought it would be an excellent family food prayer.  My relationship with food before becoming a vegetarian was decidedly love-hate (heavy on the hate).  Vegetarianism was a cornerstone to shifting my perception, as was sustainable cooking, but mindful eating has completely changed the dynamic.  I love the food in our home.  I love the beauty of the food.  I love the flavor of the food.  Most of all I love that the food is not my enemy.

We took time to enjoy the farmer's market in San Francisco before we came the rest of the way home from retreat.  Chef (who is also a gifted photographer) took some terrific photos of our time at the market. I hope you enjoy the riot of color and the peace of the prayer.

Mindful eating prayer:

• This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard work.
• May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.
• May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
• May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet and reverse the process of global warming.
• We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, strengthen our sangha and nourish our ideal of serving all beings.