With it being November, I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude and thinking about the Thanksgiving celebration just around the corner. In my family, we share what we are grateful for right before we have Thanksgiving dinner. More often than not, you’ll hear things like:
My husband for being a great partner.
My kids and our grandchildren.
For all of us being together.
We simply forget to mention the beautiful food that was carefully prepared by our family members. Why do we forget? Because we haven’t made it a habit.
Think back to the last meal or snack you had.
Did you pause before it? Did you give thanks for the plants or animals that were used? Or the people who grew or nurtured them? Or the people who transported them?
If you are like me (or really most of us), you probably didn’t think twice about it. Instead, you quickly ate it down. You probably ate your meal a bit distracted watching TV or scrolling through your phone. You might not even remember what your food tasted like.
Now imagine this instead, you just prepared your lunch. It’s a fresh salad full of vegetables from the farmers market. You dress it with a homemade salad dressing out of your favorite olive oil and sprinkled it with a few chopped almonds. You take it to the table and before you dig in you pause.
Just for a moment to say thank you.
Thank you earth that grew thriving and vibrant vegetables.
Thank you sun and rain that allowed the vegetables to grow strong and full.
Thank you vegetables for giving you vitamins and minerals.
Thank you farmers that nurtured and tended to the plants.
Thank yourself for creating a beautiful salad that will nourish you fully.
You pause to connect to your body and feel yourself nourishing it with this beautiful salad. And with your first bite you feel the peace that comes with taking a pause of gratitude. You can taste the favors more fully. You feel your body rejuvenating as it gets fed. You take your time to know when you are full and realize you are grateful for being able to connect with your body and listen to it.
When we give gratitude before a meal, it allows us to more fully connect to ourselves and our bodies. We allow ourselves to be nourished both body and soul.
For the rest of November and maybe a bit longer, give yourself the gift of gratitude at every meal and snack.