Many of you already know the extent to which I love food. I post about it, I talk about it, and I have recommendations for you for every part of the world, even the places I haven’t been to yet.
We can get so caught up in thinking about when our next promotion will be, whether we should be studying or working abroad at this point in our lives, whether we will be alone forever or whether we will be with the ones we’re with forever. We worry, we get jealous, we become anxious at the drop of a pin. We’re living in a peaceful world that feels like it’s about to implode any moment.
So sure, we could smell the flowers or we could take a moment and look up at the sky and remember how small we are. Or, we could try some new cocktails, kiss a little bit longer, listen to old songs, or we could just eat some really delicious food. That is why I think I have become so obsessed with making sure I enjoy every meal. It takes a little bit more research, and in practical terms, why waste money on food when it goes in and out of your body in a matter of 16 hours? It’s important to me because those stupid “hints of truffle” or the “sharp cheddar that melts in your mouth” are what keeps me here and alert and present. As I bite into my favorite sandwich, my mind can’t win. As I get a little bit more buzzed from a cold, fresh Moscow Mule, the darker parts of my subconscious fall asleep.
These supposedly hedonistic habits of mine (and many others) are important because they keep us from being swept away. Food, drink, sex, music, movies, art – they are here to remind us of why we are living. They are here not to be abused and over-consumed, but to act as handles and grips for us to hold on to when the restlessness of our minds and the burdens of the future threaten to pull us away.
Don’t beat yourself up if you choose a night of cocktails and cheese and salami over a night of networking and figuring out your future. Enjoy where you are right now.