Since the earliest stages of planning this project I have maintained that its purpose is not asceticism for the sake of asceticism. While I hope that depriving myself of the foods that I have previously taken for granted might cultivate a heightened appreciation both for what I do have to eat and for each new food as it comes into season, I’ve never wanted to deprive myself just to prove I can take the pain.
And this is why I wonder anew each morning exactly why I’m not drinking an awesome cup of coffee, and it’s why I wonder anew each evening why I’m not enjoying a piece of dark chocolate. I mean, would either of them really detract from the overall shift in perspective I’m hoping to facilitate? Wouldn’t I just be a happier - dare I say a better - person if I had these things that bring me so much joy in my life? Next January, will I really look back on all that coffee I didn’t drink and all that chocolate I didn’t eat and feel a sense of accomplishment I wouldn’t if I included them?
I’ve noticed my sense of smell has become much more attuned to them in particular. The aroma of melting chocolate is almost intoxicating, and I know the moment Alanna pours the water into the french press. So I guess this is a new experience of things, but it hardly makes up for not getting to eat them.
-Garth
