My Mindful Girl

I've been reading lots of Thich Nhat Hanh latey, and I introduced Tara to "mindful eating." She's become quite the mindful expert ever since.

We took a tomato and I said:

"This Buddhist guy says look at your food. Really look at it. Feel the tomato's weight in your hand and the smooth skin. Smell it. Rub it against your cheek. Now think about all that went into this one tomato--the sunshine and the rain. The years the vine grew. And before this tomato's vine, there was another vine, with a tomato that had the seed for this tomato. Now when you taste it, remember you're tasting all that--years of sunshine and rain and earth."

She was totally into it. She added her own insights: "And somebody picked this tomato. Think of all the work of the person who picked it. And the worry and work of the farmer who grew it."

Later she was reading a book an announced she was doing it mindfully. "I'm feeling the smooth cover and the weight of the book on my leg. And I'm thinking about all the people who worked on this book and worried about it. All so I can read it right now. It's amazing."

My little Buddha blooms.