Accuracy

There are no clouds in the sky this morning. The air is crisp, the energy is gently waking the earth.  We are creeping slowly toward warmer temps at 51 degrees, fahrenheit.  Today is Sunday a looks to be a true day of rest.

After an exceptional experience, like a friend who takes time to think about and then execute a plan for a meal not to be forgotten, the body feels loved and the spirit is lifted.  

What goes into making such a meal is a sight to behold, and expresses the infusion of love and caring by the chef.  And the work clearly requires accuracy beyond getting the recipe right.  The beauty that comes from the colors that share the table top, the mysteriousness that emerges in notes of sweet and savory, the texture of each dish - reveals the accuracy with which the creator engaged in their craft.

At the table, with a half dozen or so others, to share in the appreciation of the repast was part of the experience.  It's not just the eating and flavors, but the sharing of time that makes for something unique and, of course, never to be repeated again.  

Sometimes sharing in silence brings out the most in a meal. Here, it was the sharing about what is happening in life, along with the flavors.  Stories of individual experiences and in the world were part of the meal.  On this night, it was a place to engage with such passion and intensity that the feeling was one that seemed to rise and fall with the dishes that came one after the next.  Talk about international relations, financial crises, social and political change, and family stories lasted for four hours.  

What happened?  This is part of life and living that is often unseen, unnoticed.  So many different kinds of experiences come from one activity - meals in silence, meals outdoors, meals in boxes, meals in solitude, meals shared by a fire, meals that are missed, meals with strangers, meals with friends new and old - so many meals.  So many ways to experience a single activity - and yet it is essentially the same.  Nourishment.  Even in this, there are so many ways to have the experience. Like life.  

It is said, One arrow, One life.  The arrow released from the bow lands on a single spot, not two, five, seven or ten. One.  

Is that the spot that was in the archer's sight?  Not being an archer, it's just a question.  But, what was the target to begin with in taking up that bow and arrow this night? So much energy put into making sure that one accurately hits  – all the training, practice, tools (new and improved), and the frustration from missing over and over again!  

In the end, chef of this meal hit perfectly.  The food led to an energizing exchange, the exchange led to new ways of seeing, new ways of seeing may lead to new ways of being.  In the end, the tummy was happy and the spirit soared.  Accuracy? Wherever that single arrow landed for each one at the table:  bullseye.