The Tao of Kraft Dinner

I have often ruminated that one's Spiritual Journey and subsequent awakening can be likened to the preparation of Kraft Dinner.

THE HUNGER: You are craving mac and cheese so you go out and buy a familiar brand. It is readily available and easy to prepare.

THE ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TO ABATE THE HUNGER: You read the directions and abide by them literally because after all, the person who wrote them has experience and knowledge that you don't (yet) possess.

INFORMATION BECOMES KNOWLEDGE: Time goes by and the K.D is tasting a little flat. You decide that maaaaayybe it's time to step outside of your comfort zone and tweak the instructions a little. You realize that by adding a little more butter and milk it becomes richer and creamier. Heating it on the stove longer makes it thicker and heartier. In essence, you realize that you can exercise free will and choice and create a version that satisfies your taste.

KNOWLEDGE BECOMES WISDOM: More time goes by and you still like mac and cheese, but the K.D version has reached it's saturation point in terms of satisfying your taste buds. So you abandon the preboxed version all together and go out and purchase your own ingredients. A bag of pasta in a shape that makes you happy, some yummy fresh cheese that you actually have to grate versus the pollen like packaged powder from days gone by. Real butter, milk, salt, pepper,

and nutmeg complete the mixture and the result is a meal that satisfies you in a way you never thought possible. The difference is that the purchase, preparation and consumption were carried out mindfully and with gratitude.

WISDOM BECOMES ENLIGHTENMENT: You continue your quest for satisfying your hunger, and happen upon many variations of making mac and cheese. You then realize one day that even if you do go back to the original boxed version, it will taste very different again... because YOU have changed.