I’ve been reading the book, “Less is More” by Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska, a collection of essays written on voluntary simplicity.   One essay in particular captured my attention. It was titled, “graceful living” and was written by Jerome Segal; this particular piece was originally published in his book, Graceful Simplicity.

Below, Jerome explores the grace of reflecting on the abundance of a meal:

“When one does approach a meal gracefully, one can consider what one has with what others do not. This means seeing things against the backdrop of poverty, of hunger, of times and places of suffering and deprivation… Then there is another perspective, one that does not take power form the contrast of the suffering and deprivation, but rather seeks to put us in touch with the abundance that is in front of us.  Here the appreciation for food rests not on an awareness of hunger, but on how good this food is, of how remarkable a thing a potato is or the diverse ingredients of a salad or the crust on a good bread. And then to take a look around the table and take stock of those who are there, valuing them not against the possibility of lonliness but in virtue of the richness that they provide.

Here appreciativeness goes beyond thankfulness to being open to the values that are inherent in something. This kind of appreciativeness requires a certain kind of experiencing. It is not primarily a matter of intellectual assent, but of an openness, an accessibility to what is valuable, be it another person, a peice of music, a work of art, a spring day or a great ball game.

I love the above paragraphs because he explores what is missing when we talk about gratitude in comparison to what others have or have not.  Even when we are grateful for having food or for having shelter, there is something painful about it, because we are still comparing ourselves to others.  What about those who lack food or lack hunger? Are we taking pleasure in not being in their state? And what happens when we find ourselves in that state of suffering, are we no longer able to feel gratitude? The process of simply being mindful and aware of the beauty, complexity and curiosity of objects and life before us is an opportunity for great joy, and does not require the painful contrast of human suffering.

I’ve been thinking lately of how to bring more awareness and mindfulness into my life.  I’ve been contemplating taking on new challenges, like attempting to eat mindfully for a given period of time, just to see what it feels like.  I find eating alone without any distractions difficult.  Even the times when I do shut down the computer or the book, I can feel my mind clicking away, instead of just giving in to Here, Now.  Maybe it’s because it’s challenging to come face to face with the reality that I am eating alone, without the companionship of the partner I once had. But there can be great beauty in that concept itself, of nourishing oneself, of enjoying silence, of having the freedom of choice, and the ability to sit silently and contemplate the food and its complexity of flavour, its texture, its aesthetic value, its aroma and its ability to nourish.  Futhermore, even when I am alone, my connectedness to family is still present in my home; looking at my kitchen I notice that my wooden chair and tables once belonged in my childhood home, my placemats were handmade by my sister, the dried flowers in the vase were once plucked fresh from my Nana’s farm.  Even my cooking style and knowledge have been influenced by the women in my family.

We often forget our senses for our brain.  While the mind whirrs away, we forget that we have five senses in which to play with, to delight in.  These are gifts, to enjoy and to explore.  I don’t want to let my instincts to worry and plan overtake the gentler, more patient senses, which need some space in order to thrive.

What is your meal-time routine? Do you have a ritual or practice that enables you to enjoy your full senses while enjoying a meal?

I know that we all probably feel like we wish that we could do more to help the victims of the Haitian earthquake than just donate money, but right now it’s all we can do, and so I think it’s our duty to give as generously as we possibly can.  The Canadian government is currently matching donations made to Haiti relief efforts – details can be found here.  The government will match up to $50 million.  I’d like to think that each and every penny of that alloted money will be spent, thanks to the generosity of Canadians. In order to qualify, you must be a Canadian citizen and donations must by made by February 12.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to double your contribution!  And remember, the more you give, the more money our government will donate.

If you’re living on a budget or fixed income, consider what you could give up for a week or month in order to make room in the budget for the gift. Could you sacrifice your clothing budget just for one month? Nix going to the bar with friends and stay in, instead? Give up your coffee habit from Tim Hortons and drink a home brew for 30 days?  Gail has some good suggestions on her recent post, “make do month,” on how to have fun by living more simply and frugally this January.  These little pleasures seem so frivolous, and sacrificing them pales humbly in comparison when you start to think about the tragedy and human suffering that is happening right now.  It’s not too much to ask, is it?

Get your friends or family in on the action, too, and you’ll make even more of an impact.

To donate to the Red Cross’s Haiti effort, click here.

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Update:

I haven’t had a chance to sit down and thoughtfully respond to the comments provided, but I’d like to finally take the opportunity to do so.   Rather than writing a whole new post, I thought I’d simply elaborate on my thoughts about giving locally versus globally.

There are inherent problems in distributing aid, but this is the nature of the beast. Working with local and national governments with problematic political structures, making sure aid gets to the right people, working with funding and mandate restrictions – these are but some of the problems that international aid agencies face. And the truth is, we share many similar problems right here at home.  Local organizations also face challenges when it comes to funding restrictions.  In order to get funding, nonprofits often have to prioritize certain goals that aren’t necessarily the most beneficial to the community.  And, unfortunately, some individuals are given more than their fair share of aid while others suffer in silence.  This is the tip of the iceberg. There are always problems, at home or abroad, when it comes to redistributing money.

But I believe that our role, as donors, is not to just give up on the cause, but to do our research and choose the most trustworthy organizations we can. No organization is perfect, and every time money changes hands there is a risk that some of it will be spent in a way we would not like. But by choosing organizations that are reputable, we can reduce the risk. And I should offer a caveat – when I say do your research, I mean hands-on research; be skeptical of media publications that tend to demonize NGOs. Most journalists do not have a great understanding of how funding works. The Red Cross got a bad rap a while back for not spending all the money on the tsunami in the year it happened, but the public is unaware that most NGOs have funding restrictions on when and how they spend the money.

I believe that supporting local organization is important, and am currently working for a local organization and seeing first hand how important it is for donors to give locally.  But I also believe that we are bound, as ethical human beings, to give globally. We are global citizens. We are all the same, none less deserving of basic human rights. We have a responsibility to look outside our worlds of comfort and give to those who have not had the fortitude of being born in a country where there are no earthquakes or civil war. Even selfishly, we are global citizens – our economy and environment are deeply connected to the rest of the world, so even if we want to escape into nationalistic narcissism, it is better not to from a self-preservationist point of view.

I’ve been working and researching in the nonprofit sector for nine years now. Having worked for both national and local organizations, I can tell you that giving to national organizations who have regional chapters (such as the Salvation Army) does not necessarily mean your money stays in the area from which it came. I can’t guarantee this is true of the Salvation Army, but in my experience of working for national organizations, they like the locals to think that their money stays in their community, but it does not. It becomes one big pool (province-wide, mind you) that is then distributed based on its annual priorities.

Personally, I give locally, nationally and internationally.  I have a couple local organizations in particular which are unique and which I’m proud to support.  I’m lucky because i have enough friends working overseas doing international aid work themselves that I hear first hand experiences with certain international aid agencies, which goes along way in building trust. But there are always ways to get more involved, including speaking directly to people who work there, and better yet, getting an insider’s perspective by volunteering.

The Canadian government pledged $555 million to Haiti over 5 years, back in 2006.  I’m proud that the government has removed the $50 million cap on doubling the contributions.

To read updates from MSF click here.

The focus of my blog for a while now has been on abundance – how to rejoice in the abundance all around us, even if, or especially if, we’re living on a limited income.  Today I wondered just how related abundance is to income.  In one way, we can be drowned by our stuff, by feelings of want, of insatiability, of feelings of worthlessness, of focus on material goods instead of cultivating and nurturing meaning in our lives.  So perhaps the quest for true abundance is one that we all need, whether or rich or poor.  On the flip side, maybe it’s more challenging for people who are focused on having their basic needs met, who are consumed by stress and fear, to take a breath and relax into a moment of peace and simplicity.  When I began writing on abundance, I had assumed that without the ability to satisfy every fleeting impulse, one would need to look for sources of inspiration and satisfaction that already exist – to be mindful of simple pleasures and the exquisite beauty in everyday life.  But now, it is occurring to me, that this is a practice that can benefit anyone.

I find exercising the discipline to meditate regularly difficult.  Yet I do find it exceedingly easy and pleasurable to turn off sources of distraction – music, tv – and just enjoy quiet moments.  I adore the quietness of weekends, drinking that first cup of coffee and watching my cat play with her toys and then take a nap; I watch from a distance the smoke billow out of two homes with fireplaces from my balcony, and enjoy how it provides a backdrop to the beautiful church across the street.  I love waking up and seeing sunlight pour in to my living room, and seeing a bright, snow-covered winter day.   But like most people, I am still asleep and unaware of most fleeting moments of beauty. The weekend mornings are but few moments of refuge from hours upon hours that are clouded by the endless thoughts and worries of a busy mind.

My quest for abundance, and my journey on this blog, has been partly about wanting to connect on a deeper level with what it means to be human.  It is so fascinating to be an observer on our own planet.  It’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved Star Trek, as Data and Spock both represented a humorous inquest into what it means to be human.  It’s a brilliant feeling to step back for a moment, and be less judgemental on the circumstances of our lives and press the button pause on the relentless analysis of our own behaviour and feelings, and just observe.  To allow all the feelings of being human to exist in our bodies and minds without such rigorous internal comment.

Perhaps that’s why I wrote in my last entry that I don’t have so many expectations for the year ahead.  I simply want to feel more of what I already have.  I just want to be more awake. I want to deepen my appreciation and awareness to my daily experiences and my own life.  To some degree, it would be easy to question the choices I am making, to live simply and quietly, but it’s just want I want to do right now.

There are two quotes I want to share with you – two quotes that are from very different people, but that funnily enough bear a similar message.  The first one is from Alton Brown:

Remember, flavor is a noun, taste is a verb, and it’s one we often forget to bother with.  We’ll spend hours preparing food that we gulp down in minutes as if we’re afraid a band of hyenas might pass through and wrestle it away from us.  So chew your food and taste it.  If you’re with other people, stop talking for a minute and just taste.  If you’re by yourself, turn off the TV, put down the book, and enjoy your interface with planet Earth.  And I’m not just talking about fancy fare here. I’m talking about that ballpark frank, that cup of coffee, that Milky Way bar.

I always have a distraction when I eat.  I take so much time preparing lovely food with lovely ingredients and then I eat my meal while watching a show on my computer or, less often, while reading a book or magazine.  The only meal I eat quietly are my breakfasts on weekend mornings, which is my sacred time, and even then I may have a book open. Why is letting more silence into our lives so difficult?

Here’s the other quote from Pema Chodren, which sums up my point here:

Even the simplest of things can be the basis of practice – a beautiful morning, a good meal, a shower.  Although there are many such fleeting ordinary moments in our days, we usually speed right past them.  We forget what joy they can bring. So the first step is to stop, notice, and appreciate what is happening.  Even if this is all we do, it’s revolutionary.

I realize that my focus on the blog has slowly changed from its inception to focus less on money and more on mindfulness, and it won’t suit everyone. Thank you for those who are sticking with me and who also want to join me in the quest for a truly abundant life.