Anthony Nanfito's Blog, page 2

July 24, 2022

Predator and Prey: An Adventure at the River Park

A river surrounded by lush, green vegetation on a bright, but overcast day. This is an image of the river from the park, though it was not taken today but on a previous visit.

This morning, my partner and I decided to go to the river park and just chill (since it’s been a while since we’ve been out of the house together). While we were sitting in the shade of the tree near the pop-up cafe, I noticed something crawling (really jumping) across the table and on my bag.

Looking closer I recognized that it was a small, brown jumping spider. And judging by the size of the abdomen I believe it was female (since females have ovaries their abdomens are usually slightly larger than males, it’s a subtle difference but it gets easier to spot the more you observe). She started crawling along the edge of the table, very slowly and precisely.

eris militaris bronze jumping spider (female) with dark and light brown hairs with her big eyes looking directly at the camera I, unfortunately, did not take a picture of these spiders, but this is the closes image I can find that matches what the female jumping spider looked like. The one pictured here is the eris militaris or Bronze Jumper. (Image Source: Wallpaperflare.com)

Following the edge of the table I looked to where she might be going and up ahead I saw another jumping spider! This one was gray with white and black stripes. I have seen this type before and I affectionately call it the “zebra” spider, though I’m quite certain that’s not its official name by any means. In fact, after doing some preliminary research for this post I believe it is the Pantropical Jumper (see image below).

In addition to noticing its wonderful coloration, I also noticed that this one’s abdomen was relatively small and it had the special pair of appendages on its front which are used to for delivering sperm packets during mating. In the image below, you can see these bulbous appendages between its front pairs of legs. So this second jumping spider was male.

plexippus paykulli pantropical jumping spider (male) with brown and white stripes along its body from head to abdomen While I am uncertain about the species identification for the female, I’m fairly certain the male specimen I witnessed belonged to plexippus paykulli
or Pantropical Jumper. (Image Source: Wanderingthroughwadis.com).

Looking back toward the female I noticed she had slowed down her pace and was moving ever so slightly forward. She was stalking her prey! The male jumping spider! I was stunned! It really was like being in a nature documentary.

I continued to observe the two spiders; the female making her slow and careful approach toward the male while the male continued to stroll along, with his rear facing the female, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. I was careful not to move. I was within two feet of this scene and I have no doubt with their excellent vision my movement could have triggered either of them.

At last, she was about 2 inches from the male and paused her approach. I thought, “This is it. She’s going to pounce on her prey.” Then, to my surprise, in the blink of an eye the male jumping spider did a 180 degree turn and faced the female before suddenly dropping from the edge of the table to crawl underneath the table’s surface. He wasn’t going to be eaten today.

If you want to learn more about this small, agile predators, check out this clip from the BBC Earth series: https://youtu.be/UDtlvZGmHYk.

The female stood at the spot where she had (presumably) planned her jump. I could see her head move around a bit as she surveyed the scene. I assume she was wondering where the male jumping spider had gone (he really did disappear in a flash) but didn’t have the higher perspective I had to know he had crawled under the table. After a few moments of pandering his whereabouts, she seemed to lose interest and went about her day (presumably to find another source of prey).

I felt exhilarated while watching this play out. Constantly thinking “Will she make it? Will he get eaten? Will he survive?” This must be similar to what nature documentary filmmakers feel as they film these kinds of things. Though I imagine it could be amplified with the added pressure to produce content for a feature piece. Thankfully that pressure was absent in my experience and I merely enjoyed a pleasant moment of being mindful of my surroundings, soaking in the delights nature has to offer.

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Published on July 24, 2022 04:43

June 25, 2022

Season 3 Premieres July 16, 2022

Amazon MusicAnchorAppleAudibleBreakerCastboxGooglePandoraPocketCastsRadioPublicSpotifyYouTubeWelcome

Greetings and welcome to The Haiku Pond. A place to ponder life through haiku. My name is Anthony Nanfito and I’m the caretaker of the Pond. 

Each season I share haiku written by myself and others. Each episode features haiku centered around a pre-chosen theme. You can learn more at http://thehaikupond.com .

If you’re ready, let’s prepare for our visit. Take a deep breath and dive in.

Season 3 Premiers July 16, 2022Hello Listener,

Thanks so much for listening and supporting this podcast. I am excited to announce that we’ll be returning with a third season of the podcast on July 16, 2022. And this season there will be a few changes.

Changes for Season 3

Instead of weekly episodes, episodes will be released every two weeks on Saturday Bangkok time (that’s GMT +7).

Also, themes will NOT be announced in advance. Instead, the theme for the next episode will be announced at the end of the current episode. 

For example, I’ll share the theme for Episode 1 at the end of this episode. When Episode 1 is released, at the end of it, I’ll share the theme for Episode 2 and so on.

This means you’ll have two weeks to select or craft a haiku as inspired by the theme. Your haiku does not need to make use of the theme word (unless you want to) and the format should follow the typical 5-7-5 syllable count—though I myself have broken from this format on occasion so don’t feel 100% committed to it.

How to Submit Your Haiku

You’ll be able to submit your haiku via a Google Form found on the podcast website at http://thehaikupond.com or in the description of each episode, including this one! On the website, you’ll find a big red ‘Submit’ button with the link to the form. If you have any trouble with the form, please email me at thehaikupond (at) gmail [dot] com. 

If you want to make the submission process easier for yourself, consider subscribing to the podcast’s free newsletter at http://haikupond.ck.page/. Every time a new episode is released, I’ll send out a link to the episode as well as link to the submission form. All you’ll need to do is open your inbox and follow the links to listen and submit. 

Alternatively, you can also follow the podcast on twitter @TheHaikuPond. For best results, turn notifications on. 

Theme for Episode 1

Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for! The theme for Episode 1 is Spirits. You may submit one haiku for this theme. It can be published or unpublished — as long as you retain the rights to share it. 

Submissions are due by 11:59pm Bangkok time (GMT +7) on Friday July 8, 2022 (so I have the weekend to produce the episode) and the first episode of Season 3 will be released the following week on Saturday July 16, 2022.

So I say again: submissions are due by Friday July 8 and Episode 1 will be released on Saturday July 16. 

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN! CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT
THEME: Spirits
DEADLINE: 11:59pm Bangkok Time (GMT +7) Friday July 8, 2022

Stay tuned for more episodes after that to learn about the new themes and hear the haiku submitted by other listeners.

Thanks for listening. See ya next time! 

Thanks for visiting The Haiku Pond. If you’ve been inspired by what you’ve heard, please share the show with a friend.

For podcast updates, join the mailing list at http://haikupond.ck.page/ or follow the podcast on Twitter @TheHaikuPond.

For inquiries send an email to thehaikupond (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks for listening. See you next time.

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Published on June 25, 2022 23:36

April 27, 2022

Only 2 Days Left!

National Poetry Month is coming to a close. There are only TWO days left until the under of the month, as such there are only TWO days left until the promotional price (of $0.99 USD) of my ebook, Haiku Ponderings, ends. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

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The Haiku Pond

If you’re interested in hearing more haiku, check out my podcast The Haiku Pond featuring haiku written by myself and others. You can find episodes for Season 1 and 2 on the archive page or wherever you get your podcasts:

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Published on April 27, 2022 18:00

April 25, 2022

This part has ended

Thank you so much for joining me for this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month. If you missed any posts or want to read them again, you can do so here

I also want to say thank you to those who purchased a copy of my book, Haiku Ponderings. It’s much appreciated and I especially love it when you share pics, thoughts, or haiku! If you haven’t got your copy yet, the promotional price ($0.99 USD) for the ebook will continue until April 30. After that it goes back up to full price.  

As an indie author, it warms my heart and adds a smile to my face that you’ve chosen to spend your time and money on my creation. Thank you so much!

If you want to put a wider smile on my face, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, Amazon (Kindle or Paperback), or wherever you purchased the book. Not only does this help me out, but it also helps other readers find the book too. If you need help writing a review, check out my tutorials (with videos) for Goodreads and Amazon.

The past few months I’ve been in a bit of a dry spell when it came to writing haiku—I wasn’t nearly as prolific as I had been in the past. However, in reviewing the haiku selected for this blog series (and subsequently re-reading my collection) I’ve fallen back in love with writing haiku. (I’ve sorely missed it!) 

It’s inspired me to start brainstorming ideas for future collections and episode ideas for the next season of The Haiku Pond. I’m still in the early planning stages (some of these ideas are still forming in my head!) but if you join my mailing list, it’ll be the best place to get updates for all of my projects—haiku and otherwise. 

Lastly, I hope these haiku help bring a smile to your face, let you see the world from a different angle, or be more present and mindful. Before I sign off, I’ll leave you with one last haiku and it’s another one of my favorites, but I’m biased (of course) so I’ll let you decide for yourself:


This part has ended.
But with each ending there is—
A new beginning.

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
A Question for You to Ponder

What’s something new you want to start, but you’ve been putting it off?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio

If you’re enjoying this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month and want to read the other posts in the series click here.

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Published on April 25, 2022 18:00

April 23, 2022

A broken down car

Give & Forgive #97

A broken down car
A neighbor offers a ride
It takes a village

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
Pondering This Haiku

Over the past 500 years, more and more of us have moved into urban areas as our primary places of residence. In 2016, 53% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. In countries like the U.S. and Japan over 80% of the population lived in urban areas (source). This trend is only expected to increase in the future (source). In other words, more and more of us are going to be living in urban areas than ever before.

This is quite different from how our ancestors lived; they (generally) didn’t travel or live far from where they were born or live far away from family. They existed in highly socialized, tribal groups in local communities. This is quite different from the modern way most people live in urban areas: alone, with a partner, or as a single family unit.

This creates a kind of isolation that is detrimental to a tribal species whose survival depends on socialization and living in close-knit familial groups. And as we all learned during the covid-19 pandemic, living in isolation can have a few negative psychological consequences. Of course, we can (and most do) combat these consequences by joining groups in our local urban areas that align with our hobbies, interests, or beliefs. 

As the world becomes more urbanized I think this will become more vital to our overall health and wellbeing, but it will also be necessary for our social dynamics. In particular, we’ll need to remind ourselves—or rather, train ourselves—that the co-inhabitants around us are more likely to be friends than foes.

One hopes this is especially true of neighbors. You never know when they’ll be there to lend you a hand or give you a ride. 

This haiku reminds me that we all need a little help every now and again. And if we want to ensure our continued success as a species, then we’ll need to remember that it takes all of us. It takes a village.

A Question for You to Ponder

What’s something you can do to help out a neighbor?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio

If you’re enjoying this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month and want to read the other posts in the series click here.

Blog Post Updates

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Published on April 23, 2022 18:00

April 21, 2022

Mother Earth gives all

Give & Forgive #93

Mother Earth gives all
Land, sea, air—create our home
Let’s give back to her

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
Pondering This Haiku

Happy Earth Day! Today—indeed, every day—is a day to celebrate the amazing gift that Mother Earth has provided for us: life. 

Last week I wrote about the amazingness of trees and how they provide both carbon capturing and breathable oxygen. This week I want to extend that focus of appreciation toward the entire planet and the beautiful (yet delicate) ecosystems that inhabit this planet of ours. 

Without it we wouldn’t be here—I wouldn’t be here to write the post, or haikus, or stories, or do much of anything really. 

After you’re done reading, I encourage you to go out and find a way to give back to Mother Earth. Even if it’s as simple as taking a nature walk to appreciate the diversity of life that exists on this planet. Bonus points if you pick up trash or plant a tree along the way!

Okay, that’s all from me. Go out there and give back to Mother Nature. Go on. Don’t be shy.

A Question for You to Ponder

How can (or did) you give back to Mother Nature?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio

If you’re enjoying this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month and want to read the other posts in the series click here.

Blog Post Updates

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Published on April 21, 2022 18:00

April 19, 2022

A silent goodbye

Love & Loss #76

Plastic shields divide
Respirators pump and press
A silent goodbye

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
Pondering This Haiku

I originally published this haiku to my Instagram account (haikubyfifi) on January 15, 2021. I shared it in response to a news update I heard via NPR about the rising cases of deaths in the U.S. due to the covid-19 pandemic.

It’s been over two years since the covid-19 virus first appeared on the world stage and a lot has changed since then, but I still think about those who were lost (or lost someone) during this pandemic. As of this writing (April 17, 2022) there have been over 988,560,000 total deaths in the U.S. and 6.2 million total deaths worldwide (Source: ourworldindata.org).

Behind each of those numbers was a person with a family and friends. Thinking about them reminded me of this haiku I wrote. When I wrote it, I was thinking about how difficult it must have been to personally suffer and lose something from this virus, especially in the beginning.

Oftentimes—due to the spread of the virus—the early losses in this pandemic died behind plastic walls, away from loved ones and without the touch of another human being to comfort them as they parted this life. It’s truly tragic and my heart goes out to all of the people around the globe who have suffered because of covid-19 and its fallout.

The virus is still out there and while it seems like things are under control, we know from the second half of 2021 (and from the pandemic as whole) that the world is inherently unpredictable and random. For some, this might cause a sense of panic, but for me it reminds me of the value of the present moment. The value of honoring today and those we share it with because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. 

Wherever you are in the world, keep washing those hands with soap and water, and stay safe.

A Question for You to Ponder

What’s your favorite way to be present with those you love?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio

If you’re enjoying this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month and want to read the other posts in the series click here.

Blog Post Updates

Never miss a blog post! Sign-up for email updates below and you’ll get an immediate email when I post new stuff. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Email Address:

Email me blog posts!

Note: This is different from my newsletter mailing list which is (mostly) emailed monthly (most months).

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Published on April 19, 2022 18:00

April 17, 2022

A couple walks outside

Love & Loss #71

A couple walks outside
A child grows into adulthood
Moments come and go

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
Pondering This Haiku

Human existence is an odd, paradoxical thing: it’s both finite and infinite. It’s composed of a near infinite number of moments that—when put together—create an entire life that is our existence, our essence, our being.

Yet, we don’t always honor these moments that comprise our being. In our modern, fast-paced, ‘tweet now, think later’ world it’s easy to miss out on the moments that really count. 

Slowing down and being present in the moment is something that I’ve been working on developing the past several years—a challenging, but worthwhile task. It’s not always easy, especially when a lot of the modern, technological world is specifically designed to hijack your brain’s attention and redirect it to something else—oftentimes toward something you might not actually need or want. 

But we do have the power to take back our attention with a few simple tactics. We can change our notification settings on our devices to make them less intrusive and attention-grabbing (or delete intrusive apps altogether). We can practice mindfulness habits, meditation, journaling, nature walks, … the list goes on and on. 

It’s not always easy to redesign our lives and we each have to do it in a way that suits our lifestyle, but the effects can change our life dramatically. If we take the time to redesign our life to move at a slower pace and have more control of our attention, then we’ll have more time to do the things we love and share moments with those we love.

It gives us time to appreciate what we have right in front of us. We can live an entire lifetime in a single moment—bringing us back to the paradoxical nature of human existence; we can make a finite amount of time feel infinite. It all starts with slowing down and pausing in those moments that come and go.

A Question for You to Ponder

What are the small moments in your day that you can share with those you love?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio

If you’re enjoying this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month and want to read the other posts in the series click here.

Blog Post Updates

Never miss a blog post! Sign-up for email updates below and you’ll get an immediate email when I post new stuff. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Email Address:

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Published on April 17, 2022 18:00

April 15, 2022

The trees respirate

Gratitude #47

The trees respirate
Breathing in bad and out good
Earth’s lungs, human’s breath

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
Pondering This Haiku

When you look at a tree what do you see? Do you see the bark? The branches? The leaves? Or do you see a column of carbon, gathered from the air, and stored in the organism we call a tree. I see all of that of course, but it’s the last interpretation that strikes me the deepest. 

These are amazing organisms that spend their entire lives in a single location—collecting water from the ground, carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and radiation from the sun to make the food they need to live. As a byproduct they release oxygen into the atmosphere. A necessity for us humans (and most living creatures on Earth) to survive. Yet, we don’t always appreciate this gift the trees give us. 

These organisms—trees—are not just for climbing, reading a book under, plucking fruit from, or chopping down to use their materials. They are literally the storage of carbon from the air—the same carbon in the copious amounts of carbon dioxide we’ve been putting into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution. Meanwhile, we continue to cut down forests around the world and are doing little to ensure the protection and restoration of forests

Right now, we’re in a rush to develop new technologies like carbon sequestering, electric vehicles, and smart power grids

As the climate crisis continues to escalate and we are doing our best to prevent carbon dioxide (and other harmful greenhouse gasses) from entering the atmosphere and trying to design ways to capture it, I think we have forgotten the great gift already given to us by nature: trees. 

Not only do they provide the clean air we need to breath, but they (quite literally) suck the dangerous greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it in their leaves, trunks, and roots. Some species of trees can live for thousands of years. 

This is a huge advantage in fighting the climate crisis because carbon dioxide can take between 300 to 1000 years to breakdown. Which doesn’t seem too bad until you remember that this amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is cumulative and we continue to add more and more. 

Imagine what an entire forest of these trees could do to sequester that carbon dioxide? Imagine if we all rushed out to plant trees like we rush out our front doors to grab the packages delivered to our doorstep. Imagine.

With all of this in mind, we not only need to protect our trees, but our entire planet. Earth is our home—it always has been and always will be. We need to take care of it in the same way that it has nurtured us. 

That means doing everything we can—both as individuals and nation-states—to reduce our carbon (and other greenhouse gas) emissions, protecting and restoring our natural ecosystems (such as forests), and finding new ways to build a society that is sustainable and equitable for every living creature on this planet—human, tree, or otherwise.

If you’re looking for a way to take action and help, consider celebrating Earth Day on April 22. Since 1970 this has been an annual event to demonstrate support of environmental protection and has grown into a global movement. If you plan to plant any trees, be sure to make sure that they’re native to the local ecosystem and not an invasive species. We want to solve the current problem, not create new ones. (-; 

The climate crisis—I fully admit—might seem like an insurmountable task that we’ll never overcome, but if we give up hope then we’ll never even have the chance to overcome it. On my darkest days when I fear there’s no hope in eliminating this crisis and I feel like giving up, I try to think about the descendants who will come after us—who will inherit the Earth we give them just as we inherited the Earth given to us—and how much pride they will have in us (as their ancestors) for accepting the call to action to end this crisis. 

It’s going to take a lot of hard work and it’s going to take all of us working together—a thought that is difficult to hold when we see so much conflict within humanity around the globe today. However, I think humanity’s capabilities of cooperation and compassion are our superpowers. 

It was the cooperation and compassion of our ancestors that has allowed for the construction of the massive civilization and society we now live in. And it is that cooperation and compassion that will bring us forward in overcoming the climate crisis to build a sustainable and equitable world that our descendants will be proud to inhabit and pass on to their descendants. 

These are the thoughts I ponder as I read this haiku and walk amongst the columns of carbon. I hope they’ve given you something to ponder and inspiration to take action.

A Question for You to Ponder

What’s something you can do to show Earth you’re grateful for the gift of life it’s given you?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio

If you’re enjoying this blog series celebrating National Poetry Month and want to read the other posts in the series click here.

Blog Post Updates

Never miss a blog post! Sign-up for email updates below and you’ll get an immediate email when I post new stuff. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Email Address:

Email me blog posts!

Note: This is different from my newsletter mailing list which is (mostly) emailed monthly (most months).

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Published on April 15, 2022 18:00

April 13, 2022

The meal on my plate

Gratitude #46

The meal on my plate
A lot of hands helped create
Body, soul—nourished

Anthony Nanfito, Haiku Ponderings
Pondering This Haiku

I probably not supposed to admit this, but I’m going to anyway: this is one of my favorite haiku I’ve written. It expresses a thought that often crosses my mind when I eat meal.

In our modern world with our grand supply chain lines—that conveniently deliver our food from farms around the world to market shelves in our local neighborhoods to our very own tables—it can be easy to forget all of the hands that had a making it.

There’s the farm worker who planted, tended, and harvested the crop.

The loaders who packed the delivery truck to send the crop to a distribution center.

The distribution worker who cleaned and prepared the crop for distribution to grocery stores.

The loaders who load up the delivery truck.

The delivery truck driver who takes the crop to the grocery store.

The grocery store worker who unloads the truck.

The grocery store worker who stocks the shelves.

Your own hands who grab it from the shelf, take it home, and prepare your meal.

All of these hands—yours and theirs—contribute to bring you this food that provides nourishment for the body and soul. This is the series of thoughts that pass through my head when I eat a meal.

And whether I made the meal myself or there were addition hands at a restaurant who prepared it for me, I feel gratitude surge up inside me, especially when I consider all the mouths—both past and present—that don’t have easy access to food.

A Question for You to Ponder

How do you express gratitude for the food you eat?

Share your answer in the comments below.

Book Promo for National Poetry Month:

The featured haiku in this post is from my haiku collection, Haiku Ponderings. This collection features over 100 haiku centered around the themes of Mindfulness, Compassion, Gratitude, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive.

In celebration of (U.S.) National Poetry Month, my collection is discounted for a promotion price of $0.99 from Fri April 1, 2022 to Sat April 30, 2022 on the following retailers. Follow the link below to download your copy today!

Elephant statue in a garden waving hi to you Apple BooksAngus & RobertsonBarnes & NobleBol.deBooks2ReadKindleKoboScribdMondadoriPaperbackThaliaIndigoVivlio
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Published on April 13, 2022 18:00