I’ve been reading “Eat With Intention” by Cassandra Bodzak. I was feeling inspired one morning at breakfast. And I created this mindful eating mantra:
May I be nourished
May I be happy
May I be healthy
May I feel satisfied
May I feel energized
May I feel complete
So simple. It grounded me to look at my oatmeal, to pause and take a few breaths, and not just devour the food but to savor a few moments.
And that’s all we really have right now: Just a few moments. To be here in the moment. To observe, pause, and try not to change it. To avoid the urge to pick up my iPhone. It’s so easy to distract myself.
If only we could savor those moments. Life is brief. I know my kids will be grown and out of the house in a blink of an eye. The baby/infant days are now toddler moments. And nursings have been replaced with morning cuddles. How I savor them. I try not to rush to the next thing to get ready for school and work. And at the end of the day, while my toddler reads her books, I enjoy playful imaginations with Legos, My Little Ponies, and the like with my 6 year old. I am grateful that she still wants to play with me.
I suppose my mantra for mindful eating can be transformed to all the moments:
May I be present
May I be loving
May I share joy
May I feel gratitude
May I feel loved
May I feel joy
I’m going to use this mantra of loving kindness this weekend. They always seem to fly by so quickly.
May we all savor the moments.