Savoring

SAVORING

One of the many delights of my 3 month recovery time is the time to savor. There is no rush to work or many appointments. Time to go slow and see, smell and hear all the small delights of this amazing place on the planet. My first introduction to savoring was during my diving years. The initial urge was to go as fast as possible, too see as much “big” stuff as possible. Then I took an underwater photography class and that all changed in an instant. Suddenly, I stopped to savor the diversity and richness of life in each square foot of a coral reef. The tiny fish are so much more colorful. Different perspective, different reality.

Another savoring has been about food. I like food. I enjoy eating it. But, usually, I just gulp it down, sadly missing all the richness. You know the drill – you barely get a bite in your mouth and instead of relishing that one, the eyes are already searching the plate or bowl to compose the next bite. Maybe the next bite is already on the fork, just waiting for the last bite to clear, so it can be loaded. But try this : Take a bite and put the fork down, close your eyes and really focus on what you are tasting and feeling in your mouth, moving the food all around the mouth as you chew, resisting the urge to swallow until the last shred of flavor is gone. This works especially well for meat, which can be chewed for several minutes (not seconds) per bite, with flavor right up to the last. With complex foods, the game is finding each of the flavors before swallowing. Admittedly, this exercise is best done alone, since eyes closed and not talking is not particularly a social behavior. But, try it sometime. Alone. You may just find a whole world in each bite. And eat less.