Breakfast with Gratitude

At university, my housemates and I would spend time together in the kitchen at the weekend, constructing the most elaborate breakfast. As a house of four, we would each take on a different role preparing eggs, fruit salads, and an array of baked goods. Once we even tried squeezing our own orange juice by hand – a serious labor of love!

When we could afford it, we would go for breakfast at a restaurant in the city. Then we would spend our Saturday morning enjoying the food, sipping coffee and talking, but mostly we spent it laughing. These are my most treasured memories of that time.

Since then, other parts of life have begun to take over. We no longer have the luxury of being students with afternoon classes and a night-owl attitude to assignments. Those friends are now spread around the world, living very different and full lives. It has been years since we have all been in the same place, let alone spent a whole morning together as we used to.

Slowing Down for Breakfast

Some might say that breakfast is a frivolity. They might say it’s something that should be eaten quickly and simply before getting on with the labors of the day. But I’ve never quite held to that. Breakfast is a precious opportunity to pause in the moment, even if you only have five minutes to spare. It is a time to connect with loved ones and spend valuable minutes being thankful for them. It’s a time to be thankful for the life you have, before being rushed into the bustle and business of the everyday.

The small act of sitting and chewing forces us to take breath and gives us a natural space to think. The word ruminate is thought to come from the Latin word ‘ruminat’, meaning chewed over. Now ruminate is defined as thinking deeply about something, to meditate, to reflect. What better time to do this than in the morning, as one of the first actions of the day?

Whether it be just a slice of toast or a generous buffet made between friends, breakfast is a way to start the day with mindfulness and gratitude. It is also a chance to tell the people in your life how much you appreciate them. And it’s a chance to take that love and spread it to everyone you meet. To me, that’s what makes it the most important meal of the day.

Elizabeth Harris writes from Illinois.

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