Soul Food

(via Pinterest)

(Be forewarned: this isn't as ... thought out ... as I try to keep my posts, but when you consider that I wrote it on Christmas Day, in the late evening, while barely functioning on a small amount of sleep, it feels a bit more profound.)

I am a firm believer in the idea of feeding one's soul; giving sustenance to the deeper parts of us. I kid you not, if I go for long periods of time without doing this, I feel like I'm starving inside. It can be so easy to slip into a lifestyle of constantly working, or doing things for others, and forget that we can do little good if our tanks are running on empty. I do this with regular food, actually. I'll be so focused on the tasks at hand, that I forget to even eat. In the end, I find myself so weak and grumpy that I'm accomplishing absolutely nothing. In the same way, I could be working on projects all day, frustrated, focused, determined to complete things ... and then at the end of the day, I go to bed still worked up and thinking I should have done more things, and have done them better.

For me, one of the ways I got better at this was by putting slots for soul food on my to-do lists. (It sounds a little desperate and pathetic, but those words could to be used to describe my methods pretty much any day, so I am content.) The result looks a little like this:

_ Devos

_ Tidy room

_ Hearty breakfast

_ Grueling task I've been dreading

_ Coffee

_ Work, work, work

_ Take a walk

_ Blah, Blah, Blah

_ Read some poetry

In this, I find a simple balance, and I make sure that I am doing more work than relaxing, and sometimes, I'll multitask. I'm not above reading a boring book while taking a walk and sipping tea. I also rarely keep the "every other" pattern; I find it hard to relax unless I've gotten a large portion of work done beforehand. So I thought I'd make an incomplete list for my fellow perfectionists, gluttons for self punishment, soul starved (or hungry), hard working, truly lovely people. If you even do one of these things in a day, I think you'll find yourself considerably refreshed.

Take a hot bath                                                                          

Go for a walk with your camera, your pet, or both

                                        Watch a movie that you loved when you were little

Make the biggest cuppa tea you possibly can, and sip it slow           

Check out Kari Jobe Radio on Pandora

Make cookies. Nothing fancy, just, the ones that you count as classic

Immerse in the Psalms

Talk to that person that always makes you feel so much lighter and happier. If you don't have that person, be that person

Read something by one of your favorite authors

                          Write a long, encouraging letter to someone who won't expect it

Take a nap                                                                                           

Wear happy colors

              Hold your cat, child, or coffee. Whatever's attainable. All three might be dangerous

Pick flowers, kick fallen leaves, or catch snowflakes

                           If you can play an instrument, do so

Spend five minutes on Pinterest                                                              

When it rains ... watch, listen, get drenched

Paint your nails

Hold a private dance party     

                   Live. Love. Be loved. Praise your Maker.