For the past month or so, my husband and I have been living like modern day nomads. While waiting to move into our new house (which is only 5 days away!), we have had to live with various people. Most of these people, I had only met once before or not at all. For someone who thrives when life is in order, I can tell you this has been quite a challenge. I always knew I was a person who likes order, but I never realized the extent of how much I relied on it until it was gone. Fortunately, we have been blessed to meet some really great people who define hospitality. I can’t even begin to express the gratitude I have for these people and how much I have learned from them during this experience. I now have a whole new understanding of what it means to be hospitable and flexible.
With all that being said, I can tell you that if this experience happened a few years ago, I’m sure it would have gone very differently. Before I became a mindful eater, I had to know what I was going to eat and when I was going to exercise in advance so I could plan my day around it. If I did not have time to exercise or ended up only having time to get some fast food for dinner, I would become very frustrated and anxious.
While living with our various hosts, I had to be at the mercy of their schedules. I had my normal work schedule, but I was not in charge of when and what would be for dinner and whether or not I would have the ability to work in exercise. While practicing mindful eating, I was able to spend my time being grateful for the food and the hospitality of the people we were living with, instead of worrying about the fact that I was eating pizza again or that I wouldn’t be able to do yoga because I did not have space to do it. Now don’t get me wrong, I had my fair share of breakdowns, but I am thankful that food did not have to be an added stressor during this time of “chaos.”
The practice of mindful eating is constant and changing. There will be times that you feel like you have mastered it and there will be times that you will think you have forgotten everything. It is important to look back on the principles of mindful eating when you find yourself feeling “out of practice.” The principles are relevant for any situation and the peace they can bring is invaluable.
Graceful Nutrition 