Daigan's Profile

I so rarely get the chance to eat alone these days, that when I do I savor as much of it as I can. It's usually out though, so it's harder to not be distracted by other diners, etc. I am getting better however at just focusing on my little table and my meal.

Oft-times I wonder what it is that makes up the ideal restorative time. I think the conclusion I am coming to is that it's those moments when all the "ingredients" such as attitude, practice (actions) and environment all come together to inspire and inform each other. Is the buttered toast with honey sublime on its own or is it something closer to the relaxed attitude, commitment to quiet slowness, the tea and then the toast which all come together making each better than it is on its own?

Who cares.. Savor it.

I have been known to keep it flung over my shoulder when I don't have pockets or an apron on. But yeah having one is almost always a must.

"But perhaps even more important, cooking is about being in relationship:" - PERFECTION!!

I often try to find those moments (because let's face it, they are often only moments) when I can be still in the middle of the day. The kitchen offers a great chance.... but really what I heard from you is that stillness is where you are.. in the car, in the kitchen, walking to the store... Depending on how you are relating to the event/experience... it can all be stillness...

I think I will experiment with that this week.

Ah the thrill of something unexpected. The difficulty for me is shutting off that part of my brain that takes these warm winter days and turns them into foreboding climate change problems. It isn't so loud I can't get out, but it's there in the undercurrent waiting for a lull in the conversation.

I have two basic rules about "stuff". Everything must have a purpose, or be useful. Second, I have so much that now, before anything new comes in, something old must go out. I like not having a bunch of clutter and such. No strictly ornamental anything. As for the Swiffer vs. Broom thing.. My question would be which does a better job, and then go with that one.

What's not to love about a sparkly snowball?

Something about letting others care for us, about not having to do everything ourselves... Something about indulgence, and being aware of it. It is amazing what happens to us when we pay attention. Perhaps in all the attention to the gratitude you felt for others, some sneaked in for yourself. Without even noticing you were able to feel grateful for your ability to make it through, your ability to trust, your own innate nature which puts one foot in front of another until you are in front of a little cafe.

Thank you for sharing your world so intimately.

YUMMMM

A little historical perspective.

Cracker Barrel Boycott

In 1991, Cracker Barrel, a restaurant chain headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee and prolific in the American South, fired eleven gay and lesbian workers for violating a new policy banning the employment of persons "whose sexual preferences fail to demonstrate normal heterosexual values which have been the foundation of families in our society." The blatant homophobia of this action, legal in the cities and states in which the employees worked, touched off a wave of national criticism and protests at Cracker Barrel restaurants throughout the country, and a boycott called by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

In the face of bad publicity, the company soon rescinded its explicit policy banning the employment of homosexuals, but it stubbornly refused either to rehire the dismissed employees or, for many years, to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy.

After years of protests, as well as vigorous debates on shareholder resolutions (sponsored principally by the New York City Employees Retirement System, a major stockholder) at the company's annual meetings, in December 2002 the board of Cracker Barrel's parent company voted unanimously to add sexual orientation to the company's non-discrimination policy. In response the boycott was ended, though many glbtq people still refuse to patronize the company.