Feeding My Soul

Ever have those moments where you realize you have been going nonstop and desperately need to recharge? I think I need those moments more than most. Perhaps it's because I'm much more introverted than extroverted. Either way, I need to recharge. I need to take time to simply feed my soul.

Don't you just love the sound of that? What a beautiful concept. Feeding your soul. Doing something that is strictly for you and you alone. Something you love, but rarely do with others because they either don't care to do it...or for that matter just don't care for it the way you do. And sometimes, you have to throw yourself into that thing and let yourself go. Alone.

Take the time to think. Relax. Fall in. Enjoy.

Sometimes it means taking a solo road trip. Be in the car alone. Alone with your thoughts. You can play the mellow stuff and get lost in its beauty. Or crank the classic rock and sing at the top of your lungs. Let the you mood and the music guide you.

Sometimes it means baking chocolate chip cookies. It's the feeling of the whisk in your hand as you blend the baking powder and soda in with the flour and salt. It's the sound of the mixer beating together the brown sugar, soy milk, and flaxseed. It's the whiff of vanilla extract mixed with the chocolate chips. The whole house filling up with the smell as they bake in the oven. That delicious taste as hot, gooey chocolate melts in your mouth. That moment where you have to believe the world isn't too scary. Nothing is too scary in a wold where cookies exist.

Sometimes it means watching movies or reading stories that give you hope. Stories you relate to or dream about. Pride & Prejudice. A Homemade Life. Elizabethtown. 500 Days of Summer. Away We Go. Sabrina. Gilmore Girls. Whatever inspires you and makes you believe you can create the life you find so beautiful in these tales.

Sometimes it means reading through cookbooks. Grabbing a big mug of earl grey and a pack of post-its. Flipping through page after page, marking which recipes you can't wait to try. I could honestly do this for hours. In fact, I often do.

Sometimes it means grabbing a tripple soy latte, throwing some Norah Jones on your iPod, and journaling away. This alone recharges me more than anything else. Just getting lost in my thoughts. Dreaming. Scheaming.

Sometimes it means looking up my favorite Manhattan photographers, looking through their work just to have a good cry over how much I miss that city. This may not sound much like feeding my soul, but believe me it does. Because if I didn't take time to miss the city, I would forget about it. And if I forgot about it, I would forget about my dreams. If I forgot about my dreams, I would lose myself.

Feeding your soul can mean anything. Just don't forget to do it. Don't get so bogged down with social activities and work that you don't take time to just be. Take a road trip, bake cookies, journal, photograph, dance, do some yoga. Hell, go skydiving. Do whatever reminds you you're alive. Feed you soul.