Do you eat while not doing anything else?
I would venture to think that very few people do. Most people at least eat with another person and talk. Or write emails, or watch tv, or scroll social media or read a book or watch something through a window.
It can be hard to just sit and eat, at least for me. It is actually easier to sit and meditate and close my eyes and focus on a mantra. SO much easier.
But sitting and eating, particularly when I am in the habit of doing something else while eating, is a real practice.
My brain goes wild! Like a small rambunctious child locked in a room full of toys but told they can't play with any of them - my brain throwing out suggestion after suggestion trying to tempt me in to doing something.
I could send that text to my sweetie.
...check my email.
...print more cards.
...look up that thing I wanted to research.
...watch that show I've been watching.
...read that book
...listen to that podcast or audiobook
...write this blog post!
Something, ANYTHING.
I chose to watch all the thoughts - instead of trying to focus on what I was eating, though that would be a good practice too, I wanted to see all the things that would come up. There were so many, it was actually quite humorous. My brain was out of control and I just kept eating, letting it ping around trying to find the most tempting thing that would draw me in to doing something other than just eating.
For the most part, I was successful, until I realized I got up to put my bowl in the sink before I'd even finished chewing the last bite.
Maybe I'll try that tomorrow.
If you normally do things while eating, give it a try and let me know how it goes! Does your brain come up with a million and one things it could be doing instead of simply nourishing your body?
If you're interested in meditating and don't know where to start, this could be a good thing to try - doing activities mindfully and singly, like driving without listening to a podcast or music, or brushing your teeth without doing something else, or washing the dishes while just focusing on washing the dishes.
A lot of these things, just doing them alone, feel so boring! At least that is what the whiny part of my brain says. AND what an opportunity! We so rarely let ourselves get bored and there is great creativity that can come through that boredom.
