Watching the gymnasts flip, twist, toss and turn on the stage like origami paper folds, my friend and I winced and tightened as if we ourselves were catapulting through the air. Out of the 1,687 offerings on Friday night at the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland we’d landed in an old lecture hall of an ancient university to watch a group of young Australians tell stories through geometric formations of limbs and air space. My week in Ireland had drawn to a close without a major vehicular incident but I became aware of how stressed I had been feeling as my body sympathetically twitched and released with the 8 acrobatic humans performing their floor show. At each successful landing after impossible pyramids of extended arms and legs folding back into themselves, the men and women smiled at us and I unspooled yet another inch. By the end of the show I felt their exhilaration mixed with my own physical release and relaxation. And suddenly I was profoundly hungry.
My appetite in Ireland had been tempered, perhaps by the daily anxiety of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, in a rural area with only small town dining options and I found myself consuming less than usual. Eating at restaurants, snacking for a week, and open to new taste experiences, my typical routine had been off but I was proud of my flexibility. No fresh veggies? No problem! I’ll take some mushy cauliflower. A middle Eastern chicken dish with a dry salad? Hey, when in Rome (Tehran…) Blood pudding? Well, it’s mostly oatmeal so, why not! I can do this! I did have some great meals, but after landing in Scotland and being fed a fabulous, chunky salad by my dear friend I realized how much I had been missing “my food.”
Edinburgh is a lovely walk-able city with great public transportation so she and I hoofed over 18,000 steps a day sight seeing, watching Fringe shows and enjoying some lovely cafe menus. We share a long complicated relationship to food but have now aged into a comfortable relationship with it and our “sweet tooth”s. One day so many pastries beckoned that we finally gave in and “indulged.” Something short bread, something carrot cake-y, something frangipane and something with a light chocolate icing caught our attention. Basking in the rare sunny day we found a bench, sat with our bounty and enjoyed one bite each of the four delightful freshly baked treats, marveling at the textures, levels of spice and sweetness and how satisfying they were. We then laughed, tossing the remains, as we had done so many times in our diet crazed days. It was a short 3 day visit, after too many years living in different worlds, but so intensely present and connected, I felt full again, nourished by the many nuanced layers of deep friendship.
Introduction to Mindful Eating Authentic Living Support
(An Inclusive Place for All Wellness Choices)
Please check out our free weekly group
Wednesday, August 6
6 - 7:30 pm PST
(Email coachbarbery@gmail.com or visit barberybyfield.com for more info)