This morning my good friend Lisa and I ventured toward the famed Santa Monica Farmer's Market. I used to visit this particular market every Wednesday but haven't in over a year. Its always been a place that refreshes my heart and brings me a lot of joy.
So we went.
Everything about the farmer's market makes me smile. The colors of the produce, the person-to person, face to face exchanges between those who's lives have gone into nurturing the crops whose fruit you're tasting, the sweet sample action of everything under the sun, the energy of the folks who shop there. Its vibrant. It brings me to life a bit.
Most often, it reminds me of a pure relationship with food. When I grab a sample of a blood orange and bite into it... and let myself taste every ounce of tart juice, the last thing I'm thinking of is how many calories are in each slice. When an old weathered man offers me a taste of cheese that he and his wife have been making for over 30 years, I'm not thinking about how it's going to my hips. I taste the years of love, of family history, and its delicious.
I had lunch with two close friends today after the market and we chatted about my new/old/new adventure ( see post two days ago). We talked about how eliminating both calorie counting and weighing yourself allows you to start enjoying the gift of food. Today I was so reminded that God has shown his goodness through food. Every time I taste something truly yummy, whether it just came from the ground or my mother in-law's kitchen, I shall try to pause and thank God.
What mercy is it that He gave us taste buds! It tells me that food is not just for sustenance, its for celebration. It's for gathering around. It's for you to know that He loves you. It's not to be abused either by treating it like the enemy nor by treating it like God Himself and over indulging in it to fill some hole in your heart.
Lord, Help me to have a beautiful relationship with food. To eat it as you intended. To neither curse it nor worship it, but to receive it as grace and in turn, worship You.
Here, Here
Carly Calmes the First
PS: Bought myself some of my favorite flowers today ( Ranunculus for the win!) . Just as a husband who has really blown it buys flowers for his wife to say he's sorry... I'm telling myself today I'm sorry. Please forgive me, self. For all of the mean things I've thought about you, said to you and done to you. I'm sorry, and I wanna start again. Thanks, self. Goodnight y'all.
