ENOUGH
How do we know when we have ENOUGH?
As someone wired to feel scarcity, this is an ongoing meditation for me. I enjoy watching my lizard brain scanning, hoarding, and fearing loss...rarely signaling that blessed feeling of satisfaction spontaneously. It is a conscious practice of watching this tendency and retraining my brain to take in, enjoy, and savor that allows some relief from this biological programming.
This shows up in many ways. This weekend my partner and I shared a piece of sweet potato spice cake at a local coffee shop. As his miniature fork dug in to the cake at a slightly faster speed than mine I could feel this evolutionary pull to “jump in” competitively. I could feel the energy of fear arise as the sweet yumminess disappeared in front of me, and the hint of a feeling “I’ll never have this chance again.” Ridiculous! Yet all at play subtly in my animal mind.
I recently heard a podcast that discussed how our taste buds are designed to signal satiety of different taste elements letting us know we are full when those qualities have been reached. The podcast went on to discuss how Cheetos and other processed food companies cracked this code and purposefully confuse the taste centers through their complex, artificial flavorings so the signal never comes to the brain allowing customers to keep eating...and buying more and more.
Where else in our lives might we be stuck “overeating” or in a sense of scarcity despite actual enough-ness? Where are we not allowing ourselves to take in just the right amount, feel satisfied, enjoy it, and know that we’ve had ENOUGH.
On the other end of the spectrum, some people have a very hard time taking even small amounts of anything in...their ENOUGHNESS gets signaled prematurely, before the need has been met. Their practice may be different, allowing themselves to take in “just a tiny bit more.”
I am reminded of hugs, where the recipient, rather than sinking in to the person-to- person experience, offers a perfunctory hug and then quickly “taps out” having reached their capacity for closeness/connection quite quickly. (I’ve been in this camp too, no judgment, just another way this concept shows up).
What’s your style?
Where do you feel an insatiable need that it seems you are never quite able to satisfy?
Where do you push away nourishment and hold back from receiving what is here?
Watch these elements in your life this week (especially around the holidays) with a gentle curiosity, knowing you might hold both styles in different areas.