Day 25: Taste of Satisfaction

Image by Amy McGrath

As I'm writing this, my husband and I have just returned home from dinner at our favorite locally-owned retaurant. (If you're ever in Norfolk, Virginia, you have to check out FMC Garden Cafe. Order the Risotto Croquettes. You're welcome!)  Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I'm a foodie. I  enjoy food in its endless varieties from the simplest "down home" cooking to high-end gourmet restaurants and everything in between. This, however, is somewhat of a problem.

You see, all my years of eating just for the sheer pleasure of it with little (no?) regard for the long-term effects of the choices have caught up with me. I'm now 50 years old and have a serious weight problem. Food has always been a source of comfort to me, a trusted friend. But I've come to understand that this "relationship" has come at a price and it's time I made some changes.

A few months ago, I heard an author speaking on NPR about his new book. The book was "Always Hungry", the author is Dr. David Ludwig. The science behind his book captured my attention. I bought a copy and read it. I then began implementing some of the changes he recommends and have learned, probably for the first time in my life, to really LISTEN to my body and to feed it in a mindful way. I'm also finding better, healthier ways to comfort myself - drawing, painting, writing are so much better for me than stuffed crust pizza or a pint of ice cream. 

The best part of making these changes is just how satisfying it is to have something tangible to show after processing some difficult emotions rather than the extra weight and chronic health issues that my old habits were causing. 

"Andy" - pastel drawing series by Amy McGrath

The Prompt 

What does satisfaction taste like? 

What's your favorite food and why do you find it so satisfying?

In what ways to you taste satisfaction?

Allow answers to one or more of these questions to flow onto the page for you as you free write for a few minutes. 

Word Prompts

taste

satisfaction

food

sample

accomplishment

Suggested form: Perhaps an Ode would be appropriate.

Remember, our prompts are only suggestions, you can find your inspiration wherever your muse leads you. Please visit the other participants, share the hashtag, #OctPoWriMo on social media, and share your link in the comments below. Let us know how this journey into poetry is going for you. 

I look forward to a satisfying taste of your poetry!

I wish you words,

Amy McGrath