It was only until I left the world of materialistic pleasure that I truly found happiness. It was not until my belongings were packed away in a single suitcase that I was no longer labeled by what I possessed, but rather defined by what I knew. For the nineteen years I was raised in the States, my existence had been characterized by things: objects I owned, objects I wanted and objects I lacked. Gratefulness never came with an arrival of the additional but rather with the realization that what I had was enough. We are not just obese in the physical sense. Our minds and spirits can not stop eating the fat that is our materialistic culture. We are obsessed with the taste of the extra, the unnecessary and we continue to eat even after we are full. We bury ourselves underneath the excess and the longer we reside there, the deeper into the earth we fall. Who was the first person to emphasize more? Who was the first to champion quantity over quality? The first to discard, disregard, discount what they already had? Why can’t we listen to the movements of our stomachs pleading with us to stop the intake? Our environment is one of continuous feasts and parties, of celebrations without purpose. We toast only for the taste of champagne.
But my diet is beginning to change through travel. And my body is thankful for the lighter load I carry. I’m not weighted down by all the needless burdens. I no longer linger at the dinner table.