Taking what you’re given

I was on a plane cross-country recently when the time for the food service came. The flight attendants moved down the aisle, handing out little bags of pretzels to each passenger and pouring half-cups of soda and water. I wasn’t really hungry, but when the pretzels arrived I dutifully tore open the package by one end, dumped the contents into my hand and ate them.

I didn’t want pretzels. I don’t particularly like pretzels. I don’t think I’ve ever thought to myself, “Man, I could really go for some pretzels right now.” But I ate them just the same, and they are now part of my body. That little bag of pretzels, baked in a food mill somewhere I’ve never been and chock full of chemicals, fats, sugars and salts, has now become a living part of my body, the temple.

I realized this fact immediately after swallowing, and it felt strange. Why did I do that, I wondered? If I wasn’t hungry, why didn’t I just leave them there? And if I was, why didn’t I wait for or plan ahead and pack something that I would enjoy or need?

There are two ways to get things:

1. Take what is provided for you

2. Seek what you really need or want

These ways apply to almost any situation and need, from food to work to information to entertainment.

The pretzels were in the first category.