We have arrived in a new year. As is customary, people think about their “resolutions,” or what they want to improve or remove from their lives. At a recent gathering, a woman and I were talking about her resolution “to lose weight.” She seemed somewhat dismayed by it and suggested that it was not her idea, but was encouraged by her friends and family. Seeing that she was not thrilled with this somewhat trite and lackluster “resolution,” I made the subtle suggestion that perhaps what may be needed is not “losing weight” but “gaining self-acceptance.” The moment I said this, her eyes brightened, her mouth curled into a smile, and her arms released their closed, pretzeled form on her belly. She exclaimed, “That is a great idea!” – almost like she had been waiting for someone to turn this key within the door of her subconscious.

Resolutions are outdated in this time of rapid personal and spiritual growth. Rather than resolving to give something up like eating sugar or losing weight, it might be more effective and lasting to focus on the underlying patterns at work. For example, shifting from eating excessive sugar to why one is drawn to eating excessive sugar. Perhaps some self-exploration work through dialoging, visualizing, or journaling is necessary to mine why this is so. It could be due to a variety of reasons, such as a lack of energy due to overwork, a deficiency of sweetness from the joy of life due to too many life burdens, or even to absent self-care and overnurturing of others.

Intentions are the evolved, forward-thinking form of resolutions. They are deeper and can be long lasting, depending on our relationship with them. We can also apply them in everyday life to make our interactions more meaningful. For example, before eating a meal, think of a one-word intention for the meal, like “love” or “joy” or even simply, “nourishment,” which, of course, can have several meanings. In my lunch today with friends, we went around the table to state our intentions before eating. It is interesting to hear the variety of intentions and to share in the diversity and complexity of our innermost affirmation.

Setting intentions within our practice of eating helps to deepen our experience of eating and our relationship with food. They connect us to the web of life. Try it and see how it feels for you!
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