I do a lot of eating around these parts. I am always sharing my recipes and my takes on classic American dishes with a bossy Italian twist. The long and the short of it? I spend a lot of time feeding my face....but today I want to talk about a different type of food and it’s food for the soul.
The way we feed our souls is perhaps some of the most important “eating” we can do. And yet.... we forget to feed our souls and sometimes it gets the point of soul starvation where we are ravenous for that deeper level of connection. I want to make it clear: I am not talking about religion at all. I am talking about the connection of our souls to the world around us. And that is universal.
So many of us have a lack of spirituality in their lives. A perfect example of this, is our work lives. Many people take no joy from their work; they simply show up and do their work, go home and get on with their “real lives.” There is a lack of spiritual flow between the work place and the lives we live.
This example can be applied to nearly any aspect of our lives, of course. Some people have a great work/spirituality connection, but it lacks in another aspect of their lives. But in order to feed our souls, I believe that we need to do it all the time.
Nourishment of the soul can be both and small, daily, weekly, as well as over a lifetime. It’s constant work and we need to be mindful of the ways in which we do this. The biggest questions, I often find, have the simplest answers. For me,I have a pretty simple format that gets me to the place of nourishment each day. I wanted to share my list with you, so that you can develop your own method of “Soul Food” and/or share it with my community of readers.
The way we feed our souls is perhaps some of the most important “eating” we can do. And yet.... we forget to feed our souls and sometimes it gets the point of soul starvation where we are ravenous for that deeper level of connection. I want to make it clear: I am not talking about religion at all. I am talking about the connection of our souls to the world around us. And that is universal.
So many of us have a lack of spirituality in their lives. A perfect example of this, is our work lives. Many people take no joy from their work; they simply show up and do their work, go home and get on with their “real lives.” There is a lack of spiritual flow between the work place and the lives we live.
This example can be applied to nearly any aspect of our lives, of course. Some people have a great work/spirituality connection, but it lacks in another aspect of their lives. But in order to feed our souls, I believe that we need to do it all the time.
Nourishment of the soul can be both and small, daily, weekly, as well as over a lifetime. It’s constant work and we need to be mindful of the ways in which we do this. The biggest questions, I often find, have the simplest answers. For me,I have a pretty simple format that gets me to the place of nourishment each day. I wanted to share my list with you, so that you can develop your own method of “Soul Food” and/or share it with my community of readers.
Billie’s Soul Food “Meal Plan”:
-Meditate, everyday, for at least 5 minutes
-Read (this may sound simple, but it feeds my work spirit as well as gives me time to myself.)
-Reach out and connect with likeminded people (at least once a week! These can be women who empower me, writers groups, or people to cook with me.)
-Exercise twice a week (this feels both spiritually and physically cleansing for me, and I always feel so good when I leave.)
-Share with others DAILY (when I share myself, I feel filled up in the most unexpected ways, and it’s not just in my blog...it’s in giving smiles, hugs, and being present to people whenever possible.)
Billie,
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog through BlogHer. I have to say, I think this post was a little Soul Food for me. Writing, reading, yoga, and meditation are a few things on my list that I need to slow down to devote more time to.
-Stevie
Thanks Stevie!!! It can be so hard to devote time to ourselves, can't it? Part of the key for me has been to be forgiving toward myself when I don't make time. As Buddha says, "There is no wasted effort" and I try to focus on the small things.
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