Before you eat take a very clear moment to be present. Notice the gift of the community. Be grateful for the people you are with. Look at where you are. Notice the room, the table, the place settings, and the sounds. Be grateful for this place, for these people, for this moment.
Take a moment and look at your food. Take in the colors, the textures and the beauty of the food on your plate. Consider the history of your food. How did it arrive at your plate. Consider how many people do you have to thank for this meal, starting with farmers and ending with the cooks and servers. Be grateful for the amazing intricacy of our webs of connection that make possible this meal.
Smell your food, then take a bite and really savor it. Taste it and feel it and enjoy it. Allow yourself the sensuous pleasure of eating. Indulge in the experience. Eat part of what is on your plate and then pause. Drink some water. Take in the conversation and wait for a moment. Then with a clear head, ask yourself if you are still hungry. Do you want to eat more of this food or have you had enough. If you are still hungry, continue eating. Eat slowly, enjoying every bite. After you’ve eaten more of your meal, pause again. Repeat the process. When you have eaten enough, set your utensils down and enjoy the company at your table. Enjoy the community of your feast.
Eat your desert in the same fashion. Taking time with it, appreciating the food, the cooks, the work that was put into the desert on your plate. Really savor the miracle of the food. Take each bite slowly and in turn, pausing frequently, and stopping when you have had enough.
In this fashion your meal is a meditation and an experience of the divine wonder of life. Your meal is infused with gratitude and will serve you and the world well. Enjoy.
