In my ongoing journey to explore our relationship with food, I took Sweetie on a road trip…

Leaving Midland, Texas, for Buffalo, NY we had a couple of fun encounters. The first was security at the airport.

I asked the gentleman to hand inspect Sweetie and he said no, to put her thru the x-ray machine. I told him I didn’t want her to get x-rayed. He assured me it wasn’t ‘too much x-ray’.

I persisted.

I shared with him the story that I’m blogging about our relationship with food, and Sweetie’s my current mascot in the journey. He smiled and reached out his hand. Happily I passed her over, and his colleague told him to be careful of her sprouts. Sweet! They were compassionate!

The airport security manager gives Sweetie the green light!

He held her for me while I collected my carry on bags and put my sandals back on. I wanted to take their picture and asked. He agreed. A great man!

Sweetie racking up more frequent flyer miles

Sweetie in Space!

Then Evan, a kid boarding the flight from Houston to Cleveland with his parents, asked me about Sweetie while we were walking on the jetway. “What’s that in your pocket?”

Kids are so honest, they’re so much fun to talk with.

Evan liked Sweetie, but he didn't want to get too close to her!

Then, in Cleveland, I was buying some water for my two hour layover when the cashier, Salina, asked me about Sweetie. We talked a bit, and she said that Sweetie needed a face!

“Do you draw?” I asked…

Her smile answered me before her words did. But then I hesitated… what if she drew a crappy face on Sweetie? How would people feel with a crummy face on her? How would I feel?

Salina giving Sweetie two more eyes (and a toothy smile!)

I countered my hesitation with the awareness of grace; surely the Universe was behind this interaction, and I handed over Sweetie with a smile of my own.

I love her new face! I got Salina on film sharing her own opinion about our relationship with food. (click on any of the photos to see Sweetie’s photo album)

Sweetie and Salina, her make-up artist

Sweetie sits on the counter here at my Sweetheart Jennifer’s place… what to do with her next?

It may be time to put her in a pot!

Not a cooking pot, a planting pot…

Bon Appetite!

Sandra holding Sweetie while I appreciate her (Sandra)

Sweetie joins the Watts Dental Team

Continuing Adventures with Sweetie (Potato)

I brought Sweetie to my retreat with Allison and her dental team. We went back to Wooden Spoke Ranch in West Texas for two days to create a new company Mission Statement.

Sweetie got introduced to everyone with the story of how she ended up flying to Texas. She was a living example of the multitude of magic that can show up when we are willing to follow some ‘out of the box’ inspiration! I had no clue she would elicit so many wonderful conversations…

On day two we did a ‘Circle of Appreciation’ exercise, and used her as our talking stick. I’ve used talking sticks for many years, it was the first time I’ve used something ‘living’. She now holds within her, on a quantum level, all the love and appreciation shared in that circle… that’s food for thought!

Yum!

Team Watt's new mission is "Elevating ourselves, each other and our world through love" - Sweetie getting elevated by the team, with love!

Allison appreciating Lisa while Sweetie drinks it all in...

(I couldn’t fit everyone’s photo in, just click on this last photo and it’ll take you to the Sweetie’s picasa photo album)

Traveling with my Sweetie (Potato)

I am convinced that we have an instinctual, hereditary and spiritual connection to food.

It shows up for me in the craziest of ways. Today, in how I feel about the sweet potato that’s sitting beside me. I’m on a plane. With my sweetie, sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes are supposed to be one of Nature’s perfect foods (Aren’t all foods perfect?). I love them, and when I see a nice batch at the store, I buy a bunch. (a bundle a peck a bushel?)

I bought a bunch awhile ago, and after over-sating my love of them, had a leftover tuber that sat on my counter for weeks. Went to the Bahamas and back, there it sat.

It started growing; bright green and purple shoots, straight out from the top and side. A cluster of shoots, all at one end.

The first time I had a sweet potato go bush wild on me, I fell in love with it. I still have a picture of it on my windowsill from several years ago in Bimini, verdant green shoots reaching skyward… that potato and its photo resonates something within me; a perennial senses of youthfulness and vitality…

The second time this happened, (another ‘gone wild’ potato several months ago),I half-buried it in a pot in my yard. It grew fast, its long green trailers drape over the backyard table as I write…

This current trip, I plan to be gone awhile. I actually am not sure when I’ll be back (I love this kinda traveling!), so I wanted to do something with this sweetie… and I pondered exactly what to do with it this morning…

Do I cook it? I didn’t have a sweet tooth for it. Do I plant it? One’s enough. Do I break off the shoots and stick it into the fridge, or give it to one of my neighbors?

This sweetie is alive. Its awake, and a part of me feels like a cheapskate or a jype to knock off its offspring and stick it away. And my neighbors, well, they’re already getting some overripe bananas and a freshly cooked lobster tail (Not enough time to eat it!). I doubt if they’d fully appreciate the gift of this potato, certainly not as much as I. No, none of these options feel good.

Am I in love with this potato? I’m beginning to wonder… I definitely have respect for it’s life and the journey its on. So what do I do???

At times like these, without a clear answer, I’ve found that the highest course of action is to just wait; follow my instincts and the best course of action will be revealed…

And it did. It showed up in the form of a crazy thought… Why not take the potato with me?

What?

Yeah, take the potato with me. I can eat it raw on the plane, just like the raw celery and carrots I sometimes bring.

Hmmmm.

Or even, have fun taking it with me, have fun sharing the journey with others (which we are, yes? Is it sweet for you yet?), even blog about it!

The thought brought two reactions; an instant smile, immediately followed by a ‘that would look stupid!” (and yes, I feel a little stupid with my sweetie sticking out of my pocket!)

Update: after two connecting flights and dinner with friends, I’m now in my hotel room writing about my adventures. I learned that traveling with a sprouting potato in your shirt pocket is a great way to initiate conversation, LOTS of conversation!

Didi in Houston asked me about it, we had a great talk about our relationship with food. A friendly Southwest stewardess asked me if my potato needed a drink. (I love Southwest Airlines). My neighbor on the flight from Houston to Dallas got an earful in response to his question, my whole manifesto in 15 minutes!

Then Cliffy, a marathon runner from Midland, asked me the same question and we had a great talk about the power of blessing our food. We talked about how our bodies have their own innate knowing, just like she knew she was pregnant with each of her four kids.

My friends Allison and Coleman picked me up at the airport, asked about the potato and howled with laughter hearing the story. I’m here to lead a mission and visioning retreat for Allison and her dental team, and shared with her how the potato story is a perfect example of the power of not knowing. (I didn’t know what to do with this potato, and rather than decide from the only choices I was aware of, waited… from which the inspiration for this whole adventure has sprung!)

We picked up Daniel and Lexi and the five of us went out to dinner. Coleman ordered (gasp), sweet potato fries! (they were delicious)

The receptionist here at the hotel was happy to have her picture taken with my sweetie, and now its time for bed. The retreat starts tomorrow, and this potato, unbenounced to all of us, has become part of the agenda.

More sweet adventures to come! (Photos from today below)

Didi was the first to ask!

Cliffy shared her relationship with food as a marathon runner and momAllison, Coleman & Daniel with Sweetie in Midland, TX