had actually given up eating all together on Friday afternoon, I simply could not bear the thought of one more bowl of beans and rice, so I just fasted for lunch that day and waited til the evening to eat. Being a big rule-follower, I felt badly not eating that last bit of the food, but honestly, I couldn't do it... I could not do it. This gave me another insight/ facet to this whole experience- when someone gets sick of eating the same food they have to eat day after day, they don't have the option of just not eating til they can "break the fast"-- they have to suck it up and eat at some point, cause it's all they got. This pierced into me, this reality... this lack of options, this forced diet. I loathed my American perspective, my privileged position, and felt it important to not complain too much about these 5 days or even to complain about food in general from here on out.The gift of the timing for Hungry for Change is that my sister was in town from Wisconsin and we planned a big family meal the night we got to back to normal foods. Luckily, it was a meal chalk full of delicious veggies- the thing I missed the most during the HFC experience, which is strange, given my strong propensity towards sugar. As we dug into the amazing salad, warm bread with garlic/olive oil/vinaigrette, and incredible lentil & veggie soup, I was just overjoyed and so thankful. Look what we get to eat!!! I was beaming and deeply greatful. Another insight: it's not wrong to LOVE food and to thoroughly enjoy it!! It is one of the greatest things in life... but I think it's so important to be thankful for it, to truly understand what a gift it is, and to always seek a way to share this blessing with as many people as possible.
As the next couple of days progressed, I was surprised at how easily we fell back into normal eating habits. We couldn't eat as much as we had before, but we definitely enjoyed the bounty of California's central coast, eating a great breakfast and then sharing a big meal last night with friends. As I was chopping up some summer squash to roast for that big meal, I was struck for a moment as I piled them to the side... they were so beautiful, the design and color, and then later, the taste. What a true gift, and what an incredible design of God's, to make this stuff we get to enjoy, to eat and share with people we love, to have it nourish us and give us what we need physically, mentally and emotionally. And, as we are to love how God loves, how important it is for us to stop at nothing to make sure everyone gets a fair chance chance to enjoy such gifts.
2 comments:
You and Brian are my heros. You took the serious pledge and walked it though to the end. I love your blogs and how you made it real. May we not forget that this is the world that many people know to be their only reality.
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