H is for Hunger

Each morning in Thailand, buddhist monks walk in lines through city streets for alms. They hold wide metal bowls, and people drop offerings of money and food into these containers. The monks do not cook--they only eat what they are given during these morning walks. That food must be eaten by noon, and then they have no food until the following day. A monk asked me, "do you know what hunger feels like? Do you know how to make yourself stop being hungry when you have no food?"

I've claimed to be hungry, but I've never truly known hunger. Although I might skip breakfast or miss lunch, hunger has never been part of the path that I've chosen.