Seven ~ Food Month ~ Part Three ~ Hot Water And Preoccupation

After the initial days of no morning coffee and the tell tale headaches were past, I realized that I missed the sheer pleasure of having something hot to drink and I did something I thought I would never do. And no, I didn’t cheat!

I remember years ago, a housekeeping client (and dear friend) had her mom visiting from out of town and she had a custom of drinking plain hot water. I thought that was kind of weird at the time, but now I understand the beauty and simplicity of her choice of beverage. Even now that our Seven food fast is over, I have made a cup of hot H2O a part of my morning ritual (if it’s chilly). I find it very comforting somehow. It’s okay if you think that’s strange, bizarre or quirky. I understand. You might want to try it sometime though. It might surprise you too.

One of the aspects of food month that I didn’t like was the reality of how food conscious I had become. I was consumed with making sure I had all my foods cooked and available and my thoughts seemed to constantly be wrapped around my next meal. I hated being so food focused! One day I was taking an afternoon walk and was talking to God. I remember being in mid-sentence and drifting to thoughts of how I was going to prepare my potato that night. It was pathetic!  About midway through the month, routine settled in and normalcy returned. I was greatly relieved! 

I was thankful that I was able to eat at home so often, because eating out presented it’s own unique share of challenges with such a limited list of food options.  

I did enjoy two “oasis days” during food month. This was a term coined by the author to describe days we were guests in someone’s home. On Mother’s Day and at an early June wedding, I thoroughly enjoyed whatever was offered to me. Although, I said no thank you to my sister’s dessert and brought my slice of wedding cake home to enjoy a few days later when food month was over.   

A few things that have stayed with me since the completion of food month are the awareness of how blessed I am and how much I take for granted. It never felt sacrificial to intentionally limit my food choices, because I still had an abundant supply of my seven foods and the convenience to easily prepare them. 

During that month, I started thinking about what it must be like not to have the luxury of refrigeration and how hard it would be to have to prepare and cook for every meal. I thought about people who only have rice or beans and are so thankful that they have them. I tried to put myself in the place of someone from a third world country, coming to America and going to a grocery store for the first time. I can’t imagine how overwhelming it would be. I wonder how it would affect me to see all our choices through the eyes of that perspective. Surely, anyone who has gone through the adoption process  has witnessed this through the eyes of their child, the first time they are exposed to that experience. 

I'm still processing my journey through "Food Month" and will share more next time. Thanks for stopping by.