It's been a while since I've posted last. I've been kept busy by school, impromptu dinners, and trying to savor every moment of this much more open version of Italy in zona gialla (i.e., no longer restricted to my apartment). I've been itching to get back onto this platform, but I have not been so disciplined with carving the time out of my schedule to do so.
I was blessed this week with some extra time to sit down and be creative, thanks to a free writing exercise done in a Food Communications class. While I am hopeful to catalogue much more of recent experiences here, this felt like the perfect thing to share - the product itself, and the inspiration and learning that happened because of it (more on that below).
The Process:
My peers and I were asked to choose a prompt (I have only included my choice below), spend some time planning, writing, reflecting, and editing - all in about a 30 minute period. After a little tweaking, I came up with the following:
The Prompt:
Share a story where food is the backdrop for something else—a bigger/different story.
The Result:
The sounds of a fork repeatedly hitting the side of a glass bowl rings like wind chimes. Egg yolks and whites mix to create a light yellow color. The sounds are mitigated by my hunger and excitement for lunch. After about four years without them, I absolutely relish the opportunity to eat eggs. Every time I cook them – this morning, a scramble with some of my favorite vegetables - I am surprised by the extravagance I feel, even if a half dozen only costs 0.99 euros at the supermarket. The rich sensation is amplified once a melody lilts in my left ear – Isaac is calling. The six hour time difference between us brings us in the same space during my lunch and his breakfast. I answer and hear the same ringing of fork against bowl. My breakfast and his lunch are connected today by more than timing. We sit down together, across a large portion of the world, and share this meal over a Facetime call. My protein-dense dish is hardy and satisfying, exactly what I was hoping for; this connection with Isaac what I was patiently expecting. He opens Jesus Calling – the devotional we both use every morning – and reads the scripture:
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30
He laughs, holds up his plate of scrambled eggs and says, “that’s funny”.
A play on yolk and yoke – a joke I would’ve gone for if he didn’t get there first. The sunshiny color of scrambled eggs brings a sense of warmth inside of me, a thankfulness to be brought together in this time; to nourish our stomachs and our faith together over humble ingredients.
A bounty of blessing emerges in the normalcy of routine. A longing I once had is filled. Not all at once, but easily observed in this moment. I spent many years restricting my diet – leading a vegan lifestyle with disordered undertones of restrictive eating – this making up much of the sentiment behind the luxurious feeling of eating eggs now. Similarly, it is difficult for me to take Isaac for granted. I longed for connection for years, I thought it would fill me. I was wrong. Connection found me once I stopped looking. What brought us together was our simultaneous pursuit of Christ – the propulsion of our story rests in that. It is not easy or perfect, but moments like these make it feel pretty close.
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The Aftermath:
In a perfect world (or, more accurately, my perfectionist mind), I would have spent much more time adding to this and refining it. Or discussing the ideas that are really only hinted at. But with a time constraint, a figurative box was built, and I think this made for something beautiful. I could only express my most important - or momentarily prominent - ideas, and I had to do it clearly but within my own creative margins.
We were asked to reflect on our values - a different exercise previously completed - and see how this brief free writing could tie back into them. The guidance for the exercise, especially this values piece, made me think - what am I trying to convey? Why? And, it encouraged me to check back in with my values as I continue to write. There are times when I can feel purpose in the words that seem to pour out of me like water; other moments the momentum of writing slows down and instead pours out like thick jam - bit by bit.
The gift of this advice was the provision of a personal touch point - my values - that I can check back in with when I get stuck. Because, if I am not writing something meaningful, maybe I am doing more harm than good. What has also hit home for me in this class is that there really is no "neutral" in writing. My new personal aim is now to sit in this, to take the time to evaluate my purpose, how I am portraying it, and if I have achieved that.
Another work in progress. Thankfully, I will be able to candidly track the impacts over time on this very website - I am grateful to the inspiration from this week's class for giving me one more reason to dive back into this blog.