At the beginning of this year, I committed to doing a restricted calorie day, once a week, as part of my drive to get healthier.
On my fasting days, I limit myself to 500 calories and experience a wide range of uncomfortable feelings. From self-doubt to impatience and frustration. All the while, the ever present pangs of hunger feed those negative emotions.
However, I counteract the negativity with self-encouragement, reminding myself of my many good reasons for doing this.
- Reset my immune and nervous system
- Give my body a break
- Rewire my brain and body’s hyper alert nature
Each time I fast I learn something new about myself. Much like an athlete measures faster times or better endurance, with each passing session I am able to gauge subtle improvements in my being. For example, in the early days, I thought about food from the start of the day until the end of the day. I would encounter waves of mild panic as each meal time, snack time, or break time would arise. I thought that I just had to get through the day and that would be achievement enough. My focus was all on me and my survival.
Now, almost 7 months later, if a thought about food or hunger comes into my mind during my fast, I don’t judge it. I notice the familiarity of that thought and take a deep breath. I breathe into the fullness of me, the fullness of my consciousness and smile back at the hunger feeling or thought, embracing it.
Being in this, self-imposed state has made me think about things outside myself, as well. Hunger forces one to think about those in an even worse state. I think of the homeless, refugees and those facing famine and I wonder how they cope with not knowing when their next meal will be.
This simple practice has shown me just how easily I can lose my focus and good intentions. How quickly I tumble into the fear and desperation that hunger brings on. I see that I am still attached to scarcity consciousness and how that halts me from sharing with others.
Because of this simple exercise, I feel the truth of this adage: “What happens to you, happens to me. If you are hungry, I am hungry.” I 
know what it feels like to be hungry by choice, for a day, and I know what a difference a meal or a few words of encouragement can make.
Each time I fast, I am brought closer to taking actions that bring me into alignment with what I know to be true.
Each of us, individually, can end the hunger of a few in our local area or nationally and internationally
. We can invite someone to share a meal with us. We can give to a food bank. We can make care packages for those seeking shelter. All of us, together, can end it for good
This July 4th, will you join me in feeding someone? It can be a friend in need or a stranger, even a refugee. By feeding someone who is hungry, we free them of fear. That is a freedom I want to be a part of creating.
How about you?
Happy 4th of July, America. May we all get to be free.
If you would like to donate a meal or would like to get involved with ending hunger, please take a look at these organizations.