“It is finally so wonderful to have learned to eat, to taste and love what slips down my throat, padding me, filling me up, that I’m not uncomfortable calling it a small miracle. A friend who does not believe in God says, “Maybe not a miracle, but a little improvement,” but to that I say, Listen! You must not have heard me right: I couldn’t feed myself! So thanks for your input, but I know where I was, and I know where I am now, and you just can’t get here from there….So it was either a miracle…or maybe it was more of a gift….But whatever it was, learning to eat was about learning to live – and deciding to live; and it is one of the most radical things I’ve ever done.”
–Anne Lamott
This quote stated by Anne Lammot is absolutely my personal favorite from all of the assigned readings throughout this semester. In my opinion, it was an awesome end to her story Hunger, which was based on her lifelong struggles with her body image, dieting, and bulimia. Because she writes this story (her story) in first person, it makes it so much more impactful on it's readers. She immediately grabs your attention and takes you along for her road to recovery. Anne does an incredible job in explaining an eating disorders darkest hours, consequences, and daily struggles in recovering.
In my opinion, you must read the entire story to appreciate the quote fully. You must take a walk in her shoes to understand just how far she has come. Also, to understand why she firmly believes her recovery is "a miracle", and not just "an improvement". I love how Anne describes her new-found love in actually enjoying her food; she makes it clear she's learned to appreciate what she put in her body. And what good this food does for her, not only mentally, but physically as well.
Last, but not least, the end of the quote is a perfect ending: "..But whatever it was, learning to eat was about learning to live – and deciding to live; and it is one of the most radical things I’ve ever done.”
Anne Lemott's story about her eating disorder I found to be incredible. I've known several people with eating disorders throughout my life and her story was exactly right. I adore this quote as she mentions, in a large way, her faith. Her friend says that it is not a miracle, rather a "little improvement," but Lemott knows that there was some divine force that saved her, and in a spiritual sense I like how she is in touch with this presence. She feels that there was something else that kept her safe, and despite not knowing what it was, she believed it was a divine intervention... And sometimes I think that is what it takes. I don't know if it is God, or some energy we can not fully explain, but every now and then something happens that we never could have imagined or achieved without some sort of help in the ethers... And when it happens you can feel it, and it is a magical part of being alive.
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