One of the traits of the Enneagram Type One is the inability to sit still because there is a constant list of things to be doing to make things better: ourselves, the world around us, our spouses, our friends. The irony is that there isn’t a list of things we can do to find real meaning in life and spiritual connection. It’s the ability to sit still, to give God consent to work on our innermost parts. Giving Him the consent to calm the inner turmoil of striving. As someone who is dominant in Type One, I find this remarkably frustrating in my life.
Today I found stillness and meditation in the midst of working with food. We’ve had some pumpkins sitting on our kitchen table making a nice fall decor but slowly going bad. I’ve been craving pumpkin bread, so I decided to make pumpkin puree before I lost them entirely.
I cut them open and laboriously scraped the seeds. As I scraped, I reveled at artistry of this squash. Its protective outer layer. Its nourishing flesh. Its vitamin packed seeds. After putting it in the oven, I cleaned the seeds for roasting. I plunged my hands into the gooey mess of pumpkin guts and one by one I slid the seeds through my fingers to free them from their stringy squash prison. Something that looks like trash, with some work, is realized for all its life-giving potential.
It’s a slow, repetitive task, but in those minutes I was able to be still and marvel at this creation. The beauty of the pumpkin: a food that rarely gets used for anything other than carving and throwing away. What a gift it is; its whole being ready to nourish those who are willing to take the time with it. For a few, quiet moments I thought about the God who creates all good things and gives us to them freely, if we are just willing to take the time with them.
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