If a cherry falls off a tree, does it make a sound?
As we end the year, and get ready to ring in the new with horns, bells and whistles, I ask, “Have you ever listened to your food?” That’s right, listen. Remember “snap, crackle and pop” of Rice Krispies fame? Did you hear those?
An important part of mindful eating is using all your senses to experience your food in the present moment, and sound (or hearing) is a sense. So, listen to your food. The crackle of chopped onion as you drop it into a pan of hot oil. Or the sound of sizzling fajitas. If the food itself doesn’t make a sound, how about the sounds associated with preparing that food? The impact of the knife hitting the cutting board as you dice celery. The splash of water pouring from the faucet as you fill a pot to make pasta. The clank of a plate as you lay it on the table. Or, the sounds in the deli as you and others order lunch. Our lives are filled with sound, and yet so much of it goes unheard.
Take a moment today to hear your food and notice the sounds around you as you sit down for a meal. You’ll be amazed by what you hear. How tuned in are you to the sounds around you?
