The minute I heard that former astronaut Chris Hadfield was to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Restaurants Canada show, I cleared my calendar, got my ticket and set out on a mission to meet this remarkable man.

In 1995, Hadfield became the first Canadian to walk in space, the first astronaut to operate the Canadarm and the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station. He has also flown in 3 missions, built 2 space stations and performed 2 spacewalks.

Sitting in a front row seat, I listened in awe to Hadfield’s adventures. Here are 4 key reflections that resonated with me.

Food 

In space, food is dry and comes out of packages. During Hadfield’s presentation, he showed an amusing video of himself making a peanut butter and honey sandwich on a tortilla. (Bread isn’t a good choice for space because the crumbs can float away, potentially clogging air vents, contaminating equipment or getting into astronauts’ eyes and noses.)

During the question period, an audience member asked “What’s the first food you want to eat when you come back from space?” (What a great question!) Hadfield’s reply “I want a big, sloppy, messy, smelly food – pizza with everything!”

The lesson: Food is more than just nutrition. Food provides joy, comfort and excitement. We’re human, even when we are up in space. Eat well most of the time, and don’t feel guilty about indulging every now and then.

The Hub

Node 1, also called Unity, is the hub and “kitchen” of the entire space station. All of the astronauts pass through this area. “It becomes just like every restaurant on Earth” says Hadfield, “It’s where discussions happen, where we mull over ideas and where we share cultural histories. We get together for dinner here a few nights a week. It’s like our own little orbiting café where we figure out what we’re doing next.”

The lesson: Whether we’re eating in a spaceship, at a fancy restaurant or at the kitchen table, food unites us. We bond over food. We plan over food. We share memories over food.

Choices

“What do you do, Sue?” asked Chris while I was waiting for his autograph. Proudly, I told him that I was a dietitian, helping Canadians eat well and empowering them to lead healthy, active lives. He looked at me thoughtfully, nodded and replied, “It’s all about choices.”

The lesson: Indeed, the choices we make can truly impact our health and well-being. Our choices don’t have to be huge or drastic. And they don’t have to happen overnight. Small, consistent changes in the right direction all add up. As Hadfield says, “Daily habits fuel success.”

The Future

According to Hadfield, the most important question in life is, “What are you going to do next?” He strides confidently across the stage saying, “Stuff that has already happened is history. Dreams are just the menu so you have some idea of what you can be picking from.”

Chris Hadfield at age 9 and as an accomplished astronaut

At age 9, Hadfield dreamed of becoming an astronaut at time when a Canadian astronaut program didn’t even exist. Instead of giving up on his dream, he prepared himself to become an astronaut through rigorous education and training, to be ready if and when that day ever came. And the day came. The rest is history.

The lesson: Shape yourself into the person you want to be. What you do with your time today turns you into who you are tomorrow and the day after that. To quote Hadfield’s message to me, “The future is YOUR’s to create!”

A message signed by Colonel Chris Hadfield

Thanks to my colleagues at Red Bull Canada for gifting an event ticket to me.