I like to savor my desserts. My buddy Jim noticed the other day how long I make my dessert last. I told him my secret. When I get down to the last bit I just keep cutting it in half. And in half again. And in half again. Until there is just the tiniest crumb or scrape of chocolate left on the plate. It helps me savor it. Because dessert is about the taste, the feel, the experience, right? It’s not about trying to fill up or eat a lot or get nutrition. No, it is purely something to savor.

Have you ever put a chocolate kiss in your mouth and just let it melt? No biting. No crushing. Just let it melt in your mouth. It’s amazing how much flavor and how much satisfaction is in one Hershey’s Kiss! And yet, most of the time we just pop something in our mouth, chew it twice and swallow. We hardly notice the rich flavor, the smooth texture, the delight popping over our taste buds. When we fail to savor it, we remain unsatisfied.

I’m afraid much of my life is like that. I fail to savor it. I fail to drink in the cool morning air. I fail to relish the smile of a friend as I come into work. I fail to enjoy the comfort of my favorite chair. I fail to absorb the feel of a good book in my hand. I miss the tingling sensation in my body after a good workout and a good shower. There is so much that I just fail to notice, fail to enjoy, fail to savor.

I’m convinced a big part of the art of living well is savoring life. Another day I’ll write about savoring pain. That is a hard one, but has it’s place too. But for starters, try savoring the small pleasures in life. Let a Hershey’s Kiss melt in your mouth and if you’re lucky enough to have a lover give you a real kiss, really savor that one!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 9:06 pm and is filed under Emotional. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.