I recall a 30 ROCK episode in which Liz Lemon gets trapped for hours aboard a plane stuck on the tarmac. The pilot (her current BF Matt Damon) keeps announcing they’ll leave soon, but instead they sit for hours, and are not allowed to deboard. Finally the claustrophobic Liz stages a revolt, protesting that ‘out there in the terminal’ (among other things), ‘people are CROSSING THEIR LEGS!’ Like so much about the show, this was very clever and funny, but it also exemplified an attitude I’ve sincerely tried to adopt — of remembering to be grateful for the smallest things, of which we’re often practically unconscious.
Currently for me, that small thing is opening my mouth, placing food inside, and CHEWING. How often was I even aware of the beautiful simplicity of this act? Practically never, I’m sure. Maybe eating and swallowing was a bit hard after I had my tonsils out or my wisdom teeth removed, or after a recent gum surgery — but at least my jaw worked, and I could open it! It’s been 35 days now since I could do that. I’m pretty resigned — I suppose because there’s no choice, no way to ‘cheat’ with these wires in my mouth. But yesterday I looked around the table during a family meal, and yearned to re-enact that simple, beautiful, eternal human ritual. As soon as my mouth returns to normal, I’ll probably forget all about how much it is possible to miss this ubiquitous miracle of biology and pleasure — but I wish I would remember. Doing so would make a wonderful celebration of every day, every meal, every. These acts, so mundane and quotidian until we lose them, would become a permanent, reliable source of daily joy. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Linnetontheleaf 
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