Lately I have been doing everything under the sun (and yes I do mean under the sun--its been a hot summer) besides doing one of the true things that feeds my soul--writing. Not only have I abandened my dear blog, but I have left my journal collecting dust. Even my books creak when I open them. I have spent too much time feeding my stomach and trying to fill my heart and in the mean time I let my soul starve. Here's the thing about starving your soul--if you let it starve for too long you may no longer have one at all. It takes a long time for a soul to truly whither away, though. Like I'm talking about years of solitute. Luckily I have just been ignoring it for a handful of months now. But I can feel its hunger. I can almost hear the thirsty moans. My guilt grows slowly inside of me each day I let pass without giving so much of a scrape of creative inspiration to my poor soul. Well starve no longer, soul, it's time for you to feast! I have a long weekend ahead of me where I plan to do little more than read and write and spend quality time with my family. Nothing feeds the soul better than that!
So when someone says, your soul is hungry, what do you feed it? Do you know the answer? I now know mine:
I feed it a good, real, deep conversation--something that gets to the root of someone. I feed it a rich dose of writing, the kind that digs at you, challenges you, and makes you feel accomplished when you're finally finished. I feed it the outdoors--nature at its purest. Sunny skies, quiet serenity. I feed it a real, I love you so much kind of hug. I feed it diving into someone's eyes, getting lost within them. I feed it deep down belly laughter. The kind that makes you cry and leaves you feeling full. I feed it exploration, finding something that moves the core of you. I feed it heart pounding love. I feed it the wind wipping through my hair, sun on my skin, running through a field kind of breathlessness. I feed it the smell of fresh soil, the sight of flowers poking their way through. I feed it the waft of a burger on the grill on a comfortable summer night, the company of loved ones all around. I feed it music that makes it dance and sway, cradling it gently in its comfortable melodies. I feed it capturing a perfect moment and harnessing that feeling to bring out when it is heavy. I feed it a good, real and truly touching book. Something that can never leave your mind. Something that shapes your thought. I feed it the touch of someone's hand, the smile from someone you know loves you so much it is bursting within them. I feed it water. Lots and lots of water. Water to drink and and replenish, water to dive in and refresh, water to fall down and revive. I feed it something bigger than me, than all of us, I feed it the confidence to know that it is safe within those hands. I feed it life, for there is nothing greater to feed the soul, nothing greater to know how truly nourished a soul can be within the beauty of my body, within the beauty of this earth.
