Satisfaction (180.0*)

This is from Geneen Roth's CD workshop "Feeding the Hungry Heart."  This is mostly verbatim from the CD.  She's discussing how important it is to eat mindfully, without distractions, to stay in the moment with your food, so that you are satisfied when you finish a meal.

But it spoke to me on such a deeper level than just food (although she would say that food IS our deepest level, and she's probably right).  I hope it moves you, too.

"Satisfaction is a result of being in the present moment. You can't be satisfied if your mind is tripping on the future. You can't be satisfied in the present moment if what you're thinking about are all the things you don't have or all the things you're going to do in the future. You will never be satisfied now. It's the present meeting yourself...it's you meeting yourself that makes for satisfaction. Otherwise the satisfaction is never gonna happen.

Eating without distractions--in the present moment. Satisfaction with food has to be emotional and physical. Unless you love celery, really truly love it, you won't be satisfied eating celery, even if you're full.  (This part I didn't write down word for word)...Texture + sensation + color + taste of food = satisfaction.

You can never get enough of what you really don't want. If food isn't what you want--if what you want is to be alone or to have a connection with someone or to be outside or to see a tree or to write or to take a nap--and if you turn to food instead, you'll never get enough of it. Because it's not what you really want."

*I never thought I'd be happy to see 180.0 on the scale.  But there is it.  I said a little "woohoo" this morning.  I first crossed from the 170s up to the 180s in February.  Now, the middle of May, and I'm nearing the 170s again.  Eeegads, losing weight is hard.  And takes forever.  Hopefully I've got a long life ahead of me, and nobody to impress but myself.  So it doesn't matter how long it takes.  It's about the journey this time, not the destination.