The last few days I’ve been taking an outdoor painting class. Although it is supposedly for beginners, which I most assuredly am, I am also the least experienced of the group. This doesn’t matter to me as long as I manage to get more paint on the canvas than on the grass, keep out of the poison ivy and remember to put on sunscreen.
The class runs all afternoon and overlaps with my usual 4 PM snack time. However I have noticed that the time comes and goes and I don’t even notice or feel the desire for something to eat. (It is a good thing too because I am such a sloppy painter that within seconds I am covered with the oil paints that should be covering the canvas. My hands look as if I am wearing multi-colored gloves).

What happens is that I am so immersed in my painting that I don’t notice anything else, Every so often I have to remind myself to stop and drink water. When the teacher suggests a break, we stop for a few seconds and then resume painting. It is like meditating in the sense that no extraneous thoughts come into my head. I may mutter to myself when I can’t mix the color I want or whine silently when I inadvertently forget to clean off my brush and a tree comes out yellow. But I never think of eating.

This experience confirms for me how easy it is to forget about eating when the mind and body are truly involved in something. One of the problems dieters often face is how to prevent themselves from eating when they don’t have anything to do that interests them. Evenings and weekends are particularly difficult because of the combination of unstructured time and available food. The usual suggestions, like reading, doing crafts, watching TV or a movie or talking on the phone don’t really work because it is easy to interrupt the activity to snack (or snack and do the activity at the same time). On the other hand an activity that takes over your entire being puts eating totally out of your mind.

I suspect that it is easier to become absorbed in a project when those around you are sharing the experience. This may be why artists share studio space and knitters, weavers and quilters look for others with whom to practice their craft. Amateur choral, drama and musical and even mediation groups make it easier for people to become totally involved in what they are doing. Even exercise becomes more of a pleasure than a pain when doing it with others: A walk or hike is not just something to get out of the way when it is shared with others.

The coming of fall means that all sorts of group activities will be announced in your community. Get information about those that might excite you and try them out. It doesn’t matter how good or experienced you are; there is always room for a beginner. Take it from me.

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