Joanne Fedler on Hunger and Megs to the Rescue Once Again

Just got back from the Sunflower Bookshop where Joanne Fedler spoke about her latest book, When Hungry, Eat. What an inspirational woman! She spoke about our tendency to judge our experiences, rather than allow them to speak to us and teach us what we need to know.

Nearing her 40th birthday, Joanne was shocked by an unflattering photo of herself in a bikini, and vowing to shed unwanted kilos, went to see a dietician who told her, among other things, to 'make friends with hunger'. The idea of hunger had such negative connotations for her that at first she was reluctant to follow the dietician's advice. But eventually she did, tutoring herself first to recognize hunger - she had never experienced it before - and then coming to realise that her physical hunger mirrored a spiritual hunger for all she had lost through leaving South Africa and immigrating to Australia.

Joanne talked of the need to discover just what it is we're hungry for, and how we can ultimately allow that hunger to teach, guide and inspire us. She learned that the best way to feed one's own hunger is to help others assuage theirs.

In the course of her journey, Joanne found out that everyone is hungry for something. She signed my copy of her book with the blessing: 'May all your hunger become your friends.' Amen to that, and may it be so for all of you!

Now that I have the idea of gratitude firmly in my mind (thanks to Joanne), I must thank Megan Burke  who once again gave up her time to continue my blogging education, even though she was feeling unwell and had a million other things to do. Thankyou, Megs!