I usually go through life tearing into things, or going about tasks half-heartedly. But a few times today I caught myself savoring things.
I savored a trip to the store with Michael. I pointed out birds in the sky, and then he got excited about everything he saw: bushes, trees, lights, and we talked about them (I did the talking, he baby-talked back) and he was so happy. I’m usually in too much of a hurry (for whatever reason) to go off the beaten path to talk about trees. It’s a shame that I’m in a hurry…to do what…? Move on to the next mundane task? It was nice to feel happy with Michael today, without wishing that he’d stop pointing and talking about every little thing. I liked it.
I received a few happy packages in the mail today, and when I’d normally just tear into them and leave the refuse scattered all over the place to clean up at some undesignated future time…I was feeling sweetly calm and organized, and had no intention of messing up the house. I went about opening the packages with meticulous care. First one package…placing the packing cushioning into a bag I have for packing peanuts for future use…silly, I know. Then I inventoried each item ( I never do that) and only by having done so, I saw that there was one item on my order that hadn’t been shipped, but it was OK, because the company had made note of it too. Then I opened the other package. It was from my mom. A toy for Michael. I separated the packing peanuts before taking the toy out of the box, when I’d normally just dive in and make a mess. I savored it.
I savored my food today. I usually just scarf it down. I’ve heard it said that food tastes so much better when it’s savored…but it’s hard to appreciate something like that until you’re ready to.
And imagine this: it’s easier to swallow my food when I’ve chewed it thoroughly… I actually noticed that today. Can you believe that I’ve often wondered why my food is so hard to swallow? *Chew it first* I also get full earlier when I take my time. Ahhh. Savoring.
