Apple and Tea Leaves

Just this past Sunday I went with a friend for a hike under a blue sky, through trails of autumn leaves yellow orange and red. On the drive back we stopped by an orchard for some apples. I am eating one right now, and having it with some green tea. Every thing I eat, I try to really taste where it comes from, and what it really is. They are the soil from which they grew. The water, sometimes from the farmers, sometimes from rains carried from thousands of miles. The rays of the sun. The energy and care of those who tended them, the people that picked them, packed them, transported them, sold them. The "fire" from which I boil water for the tea. In fact, the whole universe can be found in this apple, and in these tea leaves. I try to let this soak in. So every time I eat something, it can be a spiritual practice, if I can remember to thank all the many people involved in this one apple, this one cup of tea, and remember that I am being nourished by all elements of the universe. On the surface this may seem like a self-centered thing to think. But I realize that it's not, if I just remember that "I" am merely an impermanent concatenation of all elements of the universe. An apple can remind me as long as I remain aware of it.