The coffee was hot.  The eggs, perfectly seasoned. The hash browns? Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The sourdough toast was golden brown and had just enough grape jelly to give a sweet tang to each buttery nibble.  The link sausages were, well, sausage-y.

Having breakfast in a diner is one of my favorite things in the world, and probably goes back to those days, right out of college, where my friends and I spent Sunday mornings over a leisurely meal at the local eatery, unconcerned with how long it took or what the rest of the day would require.


It was no accident, then, that this morning I ended up at The Broken Yolk, a diner about ten minutes from my house. I was kicking off the beginning of a much needed (and appreciated) day off as our district observed Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

My goal was to eat mindfully; Not in the sense that a two egg breakfast with sausage, hash browns*, toast, and coffee is particularly healthy, but because I was going to enjoy it and decided to be present as I ate it.

Operating on a teacher’s budget, I got the breakfast special. Nevertheless, after it arrived, I savored the crunchy hash browns, and favored the egg whites, while merely sampling the yellowy yolks. I sipped the steamy coffee slowly and let the rich, full taste dance on my taste buds for a moment before it cascaded down my throat. Spreading the jelly on the toast, it must be said, was a kind of meditative experience.  It was also an equally conscious choice not to think too much about the sausage, but just to enjoy their textures and flavors.

The point is: to enjoy a meal and be present for it, you don’t have to have a $30 steak and lobster dinner with a bottle of Dom Perignon in a restaurant overlooking the cove in the sight of baby seals who are wearing jewel-encrusted bracelets.  

Choosing the meal in front of you works just as well.

Start there.  TZT

*I used to be very pleased when hash browns showed up extra crispy, because I love them that way.  Not too long ago, though, I realized that part of being present is advocating for yourself and so now I ASK for them to come that way. 🙂