Living with vitality
Listening to food writers Michael and Jane Stern and Zingerman’s Ari Weinzweig before a standing room-only crowd at last Sunday’s BookFest at Kerrytown, I was struck by the passion they all felt about their “work,” the pleasure they experienced in doing it, and how their day-to-day lives reflected that passion.
While I don’t know any of them personally, and long ago learned not to confuse someone’s public persona with the quality of their interior lives, the stories they told, the humor they shared, and their wide-ranging knowledge of food and its preparation seemed as authentic as the foods they enjoyed and praised. A visit to the Stern’s website (www.roadfood.com) reinforced that view.
Later that day I found myself thinking about the wellsprings of such vitality. Having good health immediately came to mind, as did doing work that you love and successfully integrating it with other parts of your life. While having standards is important, being able to enjoy life when those standards are not met is another factor. Other sources of vitality that came to mind were having people in our lives with whom we can share our highs as well as our lows, finding daily reasons for gratitude and celebration, and engaging in activities that add value and meaning to the lives of others.
I know this is only a partial list, so I look forward to readers sharing the things that add vitality to their own lives.
Dennis Sparks’ “Things Observed” photos and essays encourage readers to slow down to deepen their appreciation of aspects of daily life that may sometimes elude awareness and to see familiar things in fresh ways. You can reach him at dennis.sparks@comcast.net.