day two of something new

waste not.
not a grain of rice should be forgotten.

I would say I am fairly good at cleaning my plate.
I have even been known to lick it clean to the dismay
of those with whom i am eating. however, i think i am gaining
a far greater appreciation for eating every morsel.
and, i have never been so meticulous in peeling a carrot.

I am also a fairly picky banana eater. gag reflexes you know.
well, its about the cheapest thing here and if it is mushy and sweet
like it was today than so be it. i was hungry.

here's the line up:

1/2 cup oats
1 orange

3/4 cup brown rice
1/4 tomato
1 pearl onion
1/2 pepper

1 banana

1/2 carrot

3/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup red beans
1 pearl onion

day 1

To my advantage, I typically fast on Sundays for prayer and reflection so my dollar stretches even further.Chaching!
I broke the fast at dinner time with:

1 cup brown rice
1/4 tomato
1 pearl onion
1/2 a pepper

Here's the interesting part that I never would have thought of: Spices definitely did not
fit in the budget. I snuck a t-tiny bit of salt from the kitchen though. I will pretend that
I live near the sea and have free access to this commodity)

I brushed my teeth so I wouldn't be tempted to cheat.
Toothpaste. a novelty.

dollar a day experiment

This week I have created a small simulation activity for myself. I want to know what it is like to live on a dollar a day. In NO way do I think that I am truly living this life in full solidarity with the people who find this to be their livelihood. After all, I have a kitchen to use, clean clothes and a roof over my head. That is certainly not the case for all. But I am very curious to see how far money goes in buying foods and if it is possible to achieve any resemblance of a nutritious diet on such a limited resource. I will track each day and explain what I ate.

To the market....

I will admit that it was quite a frustrating and humbling trip to the market! I went yesterday to prepare for the week. I spent six of my seven dollars (or 3500 colonnes) and came up with very little to show for myself. However, I did my best to pick the fresh foods and the whole grains. Every Saturday there is a market here so I wanted to stock up on these local foods that will probably be the most nourishing and least expensive. One of the tough parts was not having enough to buy in larger quantities which the majority of vendors preferred. The only protein I could afford was a very small bag of beans. I could not even spare the money to buy a loaf of bread. I think that was the thing that sunk in the most! Kind of makes me hear a bit more fervor in the supplication gave us this day our daily bread

Space

I am not sure what cardinal sin it is to move to Costa Rica and not like coffee. But, in just a few days here I have come to appreciate the plant and beans in a way far more meaningful to me than a mere cup of joe; more simply, I have come to really know coffee. To me, prayer is a space- a space to engage God and be in community with creation. I find myself in constant search of a physical space to encounter this metaphysical space. We'll call it a labrynth. But not simply a maze or a garden designated for prayer-- a place amidst the creation that allows my heart and mind to wander. A space where I can become lost in thought and conversation while remaining mindless to the path before me or the direction of my footsteps. I have discovered that my home here rests on the perimeter of a finca ('little farm') consisting of endless rows of coffee plants. As I wander among these stocky green bushes, teeming with red and black buds just aching to provide the world with a vehicle for awareness, energy and good conversation, I realize that I, myself, can relish in the stimulant effects and mindless familiarity that this plant provides.
So, why is it that it takes a significant transition in my life, a foreign destination perhaps, to push me towards 'space seeking' in search of labrynths and the hands of God? Is it only here, away from the self I know, that I will allow myself the grace to slow down, breathe in, and seek mindfulness for each moment?
over coffee mugs or wandering in fields of coffee.
may we all seek and find space.

Greetings to those who are so gracious to travel alongside me in my journey through life.
I wanted to begin writing again and I am here in Costa Rica experiencing another
slice of creation. I wanted to preserve my reflections from India so I decided
to continue on the same blog. Many blessings and thank you.