Sometimes I forget to eat.  It’s not that I don’t like to eat.  I love food.  I mean, really, love it.  But the day starts, then keeps going.  A phone call here, an email there, and a bunch of just-need-to-get-this-one-thing-done moments.  You know, like checking my Facebook status and making sure I haven’t missed anything new on Instagram.  Important things.

I don’t just love food itself.  I love the experience of food.  I am not a fancy cook and my taste buds aren’t overly cultured, but my favorite food is one I get to enjoy.  I hate eating on the go.  No time to savor.  I have a pre-planned “last bite” with every meal:  the bite to end all bites.   The grand finale.  The taste that the rest of the meal has been working up towards.  Even if the meal is a bean and cheese burrito, I strategize to make sure that the last bite has just the right blend of bean, cheese, and tortilla.  I’m not making this up.

So sometimes I forget to eat.  Or better said, I keep pushing it back because the setting isn’t ideal.  Because I don’t have room to savor.  There are days that I end up not eating at all until dinner.  And everyone knows what a hungry woman is like.  I get cranky, and fidgety, and annoyed.  I have no margin.  Forget savoring, the carnivore must be fed.

My husband gets after me about this, mainly because he is the one the monster lashes out at in moments of extreme hunger.  He believes in preventive plans of attack:  He tells co-workers to make sure I take a lunch break, and will regularly text to see if I remembered breakfast.  I’ve gotten better.  Truly.  I have given in to eating breakfast bars and other on-the-go items out of necessity.  And I admit, it makes me a much nicer person.

Funny that someone can love food so much but still forget to eat it.

Well I forget to feed my soul, too.  I love Jesus.  I love His Word.  I love His creation.  But I wait for ideal moments to sit down and savor, and sometimes, I forget to “eat.”  I forget how much it matters to see the ocean.  I forget how much it matters to be still.  I forget how much it matters to read Scripture.  I forget how much it matters to write and process in my journal.  I forget how much it matters to get outside for fresh air and fun.

When I forget, I get cranky and lethargic and altogether restless.  It’s my soul’s way of saying “I’m hungry, feed me.”

So it’s time to eat.  Even if it’s on-the-go.  Yesterday I took one simple hour at the beach.  Today I dug into God’s Word again.  In a few minutes I’ll head outside for a late morning walk and take in the colorful trees and lawn decorations that adorn my cute town.  Oh, but first I need to eat breakfast …