Mindfulness and savoring 73 organization if you wish to learn more. For further reading I recommend Wherever you go, there you are by Jon Kabat-Zinn and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle, like Sharma, argues that we must see our mind as a tool that we pick up and put down as required. The mind is a tool that is in our service and our first job is to recognize that it is a tool – not the master tradesman. As I started to understand these principles of mindfulness and that life is lived in the moment I realized that I was really only‘ alive’ when I was present in the moment – when I was experiencing the world around me. If I was ruminating over the past or worrying about the future my brain might as well be in that box – it wasn’ t making the most of where my body could take it to and interesting people it could put me in front of. I then realized that if I was really only alive when I was present in the moment, then I could be alive for longer if I was present in more moments. This was a powerful realization for me. I estimated that prior to understanding the concept of mindfulness I was probably only living my life for around 20 % of the time. The other 80 % of the time I was not present as my mind was somewhere else. Much of the 20 % came not through my effort to be mindful but from simply being involved in activities that demanded my full attention, like reading a good book or having a laugh with a good friend over a drink. We all know these experiences – they are the ones where we don’ t notice the passing of time and then find ourselves saying,‘ Gosh, is that really the time?’ How much longer could I live? If I could be present 40 % of my life I would, in effect, live twice as long a life! So now I am aiming for 60 % – not satisfied with living twice as long I am going for three times as long! How does mindfulness relate to food? To use slightly different words, mindfulness is all about savoring the moment. You cannot savor anything – the moment or food – quickly. Mindfulness is the antidote to high speed, guilt charged eating. Eating quickly is a crime against matters culinary. What is the point of eating good food if we do not take