Speak Like You Eat

When we put the right foods into our bodies, we're making ourselves healthier, stronger, balanced.. its almost common knowledge by now, that what we eat affects the overall potential of our physical body and well being.
I walked into a bookshop yesterday, just browsing titles.. wandering down isle after isle of books dedicated to what we put into our mouths. Nutrition books, dieting guides, cleansing, muscle building, spiritual health.. we are quite knowledgeable it seems on how to eat our way to a more fulfilled life.
But our mouths work two ways..
After browsing a few dozen books about eating.. not a one mentioned being intentional with the content that comes out of our mouths.
Perhaps we have been so concerned with monitoring our "intake", that we have neglected to explore the potential of our "release"..
After all, with every inhale, comes an exhale..

These things that we say.. the sounds that slip out between our lips.. words - they are powerful! They can change perceptions, they can bring about epiphanies, they insight fear, they dispel doubts, they create affection, they sever friendships.. A single word of encouragement or negativity can forever echo in the mind of another human - changing the course of their life. That is incredible to me.. astounding.
Are we aware of this power? Do we have the will and the awareness to use it?
Sometimes it feels like we "talk" so much.. without purpose.. like we're wielding a gun without intention. Most of the words I listen to are uttered without ever a thought given to them.. they are pointless, powerless, and quickly forgotten, like pebbles tossed into a deep raging river.

When I was younger.. we used to say a prayer before each meal, to acknowledge the food we were about to eat.. to pause a moment and recognize how it was nourishing us, blessing us. I imagine that if we paused a moment to acknowledge our words before we spoke, the things we would say might be quite different.

I want to speak like I eat.







Andrew Tipton