As I sat yesterday with my hunger pangs, I began to think about all of the people in the world who have NOTHING to eat or drink. The other day I watched the kids at the local pool play with the water and the shower near the sandbox. They take the endless water for granted. They press the button, the water comes out, and they walk away while the water is still running. I don't think that they realize that water is a precious commodity around the world, something that is in short supply in many areas of the world. More often than not if there is water, it is contaminated.
It's the same with food. We are blessed to have an abundant supply. While watching the kids at the pool I noticed that they (seemed) to take it for granted: go to the snack counter, ask for something, put down your money, and voilà, there's your food. Let me say: There is NOTHING wrong with this way of being. I do not expect 10 year olds to wonder about the rest of the world as they go to buy an ice cream cone. It would be great if they did, but I would never expect that from a kid. My only point is that these observations gave way to thoughts about my own relationship with food.
As I worked through my pangs of hunger, I realized that the pangs would disappear as soon as I had my snack of blueberries and an apple. If kids around the world can live for days without food (they can, but that's not to say that they SHOULD), I can go a few hours without snacking. Yesterday's afternoon reflections gave me great pause and an amazing sense of, "Hey, this is NO BIG DEAL." I sit here now, and I am grateful for the food in my cupboards and my refrigerator and, though the hunger pangs have begun again, I'm fine. I am not worried, and I am definitely not stressed about where my snack will come from. Today, my perspective has changed. I am not hungry. I am blessed.
Onward and upward!
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