"Each meal, each morsel, is a gift. Even if you are single and eat many meals by yourself, that is why you never really eat alone. Consider for a moment, how each meal brings you into communion with the community at large.

"The earth provides a bounty of food. Farmers plant seeds and harvest crops. Truckers transport food to local distribution centers. Retailers stock the shelves.

"This great chain of being and giving never ends. That you are part of a community and a planet that share food is one of the amazing gifts of being. In the broader sense, is not each meal — indeed, everything in your life — something that is given? This is true even when you work for your meals — because even one's livelihood can be viewed as a blessing.

"Be mindful that each foodstuff connects us to our planet and our community."

Donald Altman in Meal by Meal: 365 Daily Meditations for Finding Balance through Mindful Eating