Charlene is a journey of mindful health and self-care
Posted on 12/02/2012 @ 10:40 PM
While practicing asking Am I Hungry? today, I was reminded of my previous neighbor’s dog, Lady. The beautiful black Labrador was extremely well trained. One of the discipline routines my neighbor used to do with her was place a treat on the top of her nose. She would sit with the treat resting on her nose until she was given the signal that she could eat it. Then, she’d quickly lift her nose, making the treat pop up in the air, catch it in her mouth, and happily chomp away. This morning, as usual, I wanted breakfast shortly after arising. Notice that I said “I wanted breakfast,” not “I was hungry for breakfast.” I asked myself, “Am I Hungry?” The answer was “No.” I needed to sit with the treat untouched in the kitchen a bit longer. A bit later my attention went to my stomach. “Am I Hungry?” “Maybe, but really only about a 4 on the hunger scale.” Wait for it…wait for it. I felt like Lady, waiting with anticipation and disciple. Then, the growl, the hollow feeling, the eager urge to eat. I was given the signal. Up I jumped, fixed my breakfast and enjoyed it immensely. I finished at about a 6 on the hunger scale. (It will take more lessons before I’m disciplined enough to stop at a 5.) This is a re-training process…and maybe you can teach this ol’ lady a few new tricks.
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