The Joy in Every Bite

A Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj

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There is something beautifully human about the way we eat.

Notice how almost everyone, no matter where they come from, quietly saves the best bite for last, the crispiest chip, the softest piece of roti, the sweetest part of a mango. It’s never planned or spoken; it’s just something we do.

We move around the plate with patience, eating the ordinary parts first, keeping the favorite aside, almost like a secret reward for making it through.

And that single act tells us a lot about who we are.

We are creatures of hope.
We build our lives around the promise that the next moment, the next phase, the next chapter will taste sweeter than the one we’re in.

That’s why we study hard now for a “better tomorrow.”
We delay joy saying, “I’ll rest when I succeed,”
or “I’ll travel when I have time,”
or “I’ll be happy when everything finally falls into place.”

It’s the same philosophy of the last morsel, just lived on a bigger plate called life.

But life, unlike dinner, doesn’t always wait for us to finish everything else first.
The power might go out before dessert.
The rain might wash away the picnic.
The people we love might move away before we say what we meant to.

And suddenly, the “best morsel” we were saving, that perfect moment we thought we’d enjoy later, remains untouched.

That’s when we realize that the purpose was never to finish everything else first; it was to enjoy as we go.

Because happiness isn’t meant to be the dessert at the end of life’s meal, it’s meant to be sprinkled all along the way.

We don’t know how many bites life will serve us.
But we can make every one count by noticing, by savoring, by giving, by being present.

So go ahead and eat your favorite bite first.
Use the good plates today.
Say what you want to say, now.
Dance while the music is still playing.

Because waiting for the “best” moment is like keeping the last morsel forever, beautiful in thought, but tasteless in reality.

Keep finding the joy in every bite, and in every story. Follow Talesmith for more moments that stay with you.