Gorgeous Dog….

I am reading a book called “ eat, drink and be gorgeous” by Esther Blum and I am really enjoying it. What I like about the core message is that in order to be gorgeous, you need to live life fully. This includes eating , drinking, participating in life 100%.

Many women in particular deprive themselves of food especially when they are young. They are influenced by the media and focus too much on themselves. Eating and not eating becomes an obsession for some because they plan their day around food or not having food. If we are depriving ourselves of one major part of life and sustenance which comes in the form of food…we are then shutting ourselves away from one part of life…. what’s the use of living? A male colleague of mine once shared his observation on women, he said that “ there is nothing sexier than watching a woman have a proper meal”

Sometimes we notice slim women with sexy figures but they are unattractive and other times we meet women who may have more weight on them but they are attractive. The media has sold us the belief that you cant be happy if you are not a perfect in height , shape and body weight. They have also sold us the belief that fat people are unhealthy…but no more unhealthy than a skinny person.!

The problem is not the media, its us… we have bought into this stupid belief about perfection. If we look at nature- it is perfect in its imperfection. As people we are meant to be all sorts of shapes and colours …and why not? Why do all little girls want to look like they came out of a Barbie doll package?

I think its about living “ juicy” as Sark puts it in one of her books. To me this means really enjoying what we do in every moment….its about living life 100% percent full tilt.
When we eat , when we drive, even when we chat with our family members, we are not there fully. Being present in the moment makes you feel alive. I think about times in my life where I have done that around food….most times I eat fast and rush off to the next thing and what comes to mind is a fabulous lunch that I was invited to in New Zealand. The chef prepared the food to match the wines that were chosen. The portions were just right and the presentation was beautiful. Before we started the meal , I told my boss and a good friend of mine, who were there at that meal, that they were wasting good wine on me because I don’t know much about wines. I also told them that if they asked for a comment on any wine I tasted , I was going to say that it was “ nutty, creamy and tasted like chicken!!!” …funnily, I was the one with the most feedback and I described every thing I tasted . My friend who was listening to all this, turned around to me and said “ not bad, for someone who says she does not know much about wine, you are real connoisseur of wine.” To this my boss replied “ No, she is a connoisseur of life” I was in the moment and really taking in the whole experience.

I like that label and in many ways because this is how I like to live my life. Its about taking every bit ( or every bite in this case) that life has to offer and really enjoying it and being thankful for it. I don’t always do it but it has certainly become easier over the last few years to stay in the present moment. Most times we skip the present moment into the past. Most times yearning for a past or a future but not experiencing what’s in front of us.

When we project our fears into the future, this becomes our reality. If we are constantly fighting with life over what we don’t have or what we are afraid of, it comes back with a vengeance at us. This I because when our head space is in the future or the past ,it cant possibly be in the present,/current moment. It is more fun to go with the flow and see what life unfolds for us….. “an expotition” as Pooh Bear would say ( expedition/adventure). Ever noticed how time flies when we are in the moment.. The same applies to eating, enjoying every morsel and really savoring it, it can be very satisfying. When we are truly satisfied at the soul level , the hunger and yearning stops. Sometimes I experience this fleetingly. Most times, I am still rushing through life to take notice. Writing this reminds me to do just that, to enjoy and savor each moment as it comes. Today, I am going to take in the colors, smells , tastes of food presented to me. I will look at the presentation of that food and think about the people who prepared it, the people who grew it and thank them in my mind for providing me this experience. I will take time to experience the different textures. The writer of the book I am reading calls this “Eating Gorgeous” and has a quote by Virginia Woolf “ One cannot think well, love well, sleep well. If one has not dined well”