Finished Breakfast — Donna Hopkins

One of the things I love most about this season of life is that there is time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. It is a gift not to have to rush to be somewhere. To let go of productivity as a measure of my worth. We enjoyed Sunday breakfast on the screened-in porch, overlooking the woods, sun streaming in. Breakfast now is not defined as “healthy” or “balanced.” It is described as pleasurable. A flaky biscuit with butter and jam. Fresh cantaloupe from Snead’s Farm. A sausage patty. Steaming hot coffee with lots of cream and sugar. The way the light falls at this time of morning soothes me. The contrast of light and dark seems not only manageable but also necessary and even beautiful.

I snapped a few pictures. Happy to share this small thing I have noticed. When I think about a title for this post, I search the words, “finished breakfast,” and it turns out there is a whole category of such images. On Getty Images alone, there are over 5000 images tagged as “finished breakfast.” And this makes me happy, too. If there are over 5000 ways to notice the simple act of finishing breakfast, to notice nourishing ourselves and those we love, to begin each day with a fresh start, then surely there is hope. Where we increase curiosity and remove judgement. Where we embrace who we are and make peace within ourselves by focusing on being.