Pinching myself over my extreme good fortune

“Let me be clear. I do feel like a contest winner.”— W. Kamau Bell

In a profound and heartbreaking scene on last night’s Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain tells W. Kamau Bell, as they gaze over the Kenyan landscape, that he has to f***ing pinch himself because he can’t believe he gets to do and see all this.

I know the feeling. I’m frequently dumbfounded that a preacher’s kid from small-town Kansas has been blessed to experience Kenya, Turkey, Japan, Peru and many of the same countries as the celebrity chef. But even more sublime is that I also get to experience, to feel and to know the life force that ACIM 267 so eloquently promises, that Anthony Bourdain temporarily forgot last June.

I get the joy of knowing I am surrounded by love, that peace fills my heart and floods my body. I get the peace of knowing that every single thing I need is given me, that my every breath infuses me with strength.

As for Anthony Bourdain, whose shocking suicide stunned us all, we have to ask:

Didn’t he know how much we loved him?
Doesn’t he realize how beautiful he is, how much joy he gave us?

Having these thoughts reminds me of what our Source thinks about us as we go about our lives, not appreciating the truth of who we really are.

I know who you are, Anthony Bourdain, and I thank you for sharing your beauty and your truth with the world.

Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.