Day 4: Citrus

This is a day to re-introduce sweets. I have no idea whether this makes sense from a physical health point of view. No question, though, it made a lot of sense from a gratitude point of view.

It reminded me of a story a friend told me once about a long-term hiking experience she had where they only got very plain food every day (porridge or something like that). And then their group met up with some day-hikers who casually gave them an orange. Their group ended up fighting over it, because it was so different and exciting. At the end of the hike, they had a party, with a spread of fairly normal foods, and to her, it was like paradise! This story really stuck in my mind, and probably had a big influence on my "gratitude diet" idea in the first place. We can create heaven on earth just by noticing that it's here around us. The orange felt like a symbol of that, somehow. Heaven in something so humble (Probably best to ignore the whole "fighting over it" part...haha)

When I did this practice, I couldn't believe I could have so much gratitude for an orange! And for good reason. It was so, so, nice to have something sweet and cold and refreshing after just a few days without anything close to that. Later in the day, I mixed a little seltzer water into some orange juice and it was just incredible. And now, when I have the same thing, even after it's been years, I can recall how delicious it was. It really feels like such a treat.

It's so good to bite into an orange or tangerine and feel that burst of sweet-sour juice, and to know that there's so much that's healthy in what you're eating as well as sensually enjoyable. Vitamin C is most associated with citrus, but there are other good things like fiber, potassium, and folic acid.

Another thing to consider, when eating an orange (or grapefruit or lime or lemon), is where it comes from. For me, an orange is something that needs to not only be planted and nurtured, but also shipped from a far away place. It's amazing to think about the variety of foods so easily available. When I hold it in my hand, I can imagine its journey to me and rejoice in it.