Karla’s Korner: Soul Food

Soul Food…..

A soul is defined as the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body. The soul is our energy force, the thing that we see when we take time to really notice someone; it is I believe what makes us beautiful. It is the soul that reflects our energy, happiness and is the “light” that we shine on the world around us.

Twenty-two years ago motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen collaborated on the very first Chicken Soup for the Soul book, a compilation of inspirations true stories they had collected from their audience members. There have been other Chicken Soup books published in recent years focusing on specific readers including, mothers, father, children, teenagers, etc. These feel good, inspirational true stories are meant to soothe the reader’s soul much like chicken soup helps soothe our bodies when we are suffering from an illness; physical or emotional. While the stories from the Chicken Soup books are good for the soul, I believe it is important to nurture or soothe our soul in other ways as well. It is when we take the effort and time to nurture and feed our soul; our work becomes a bit less cumbersome causing us to enjoy it more. Life seems to become more vibrant and meaningful and when the tough stuff arrives, as we know it will, we are able to handle it more gracefully. After all it is our soul that allows us to feel and experience the myriad of emotions that make up our life experiences.

So what is it that we need to feed our souls? What are the life ingredients that when combined make up a smorgasbord of soul filling experiences similar that will define us at the end of our earthly days. Acknowledging that everyone is different, there are I believe certain life experiences that when lived has similar soul feeding results. Learning to recognize and give these experiences a concrete place in our daily lives is necessary in living a soul filled life.

Standing on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean recently with the waves washing over my legs (sometimes reaching my waist) I was reminded of the power of nature all the while having a sense of peace fill my soul. With laughter, squeals of small children, seagulls’ hovering overhead it was in those crashing waves I found peace. Taking chances, living on the edge, if you will is another way to feed your soul. Make a point to experience your life experiences; the good and the not so good. Whether grief, sadness or joy and happiness it is necessary to embrace, accept and live them. Feed your soul with authentic experiences. French poet Jean De La Fontaine wrote “Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.”

At the suggestion of a friend I carve out at least thirty minutes each morning to meditate, read my Bible, listen to music, light a candle or whatever allows me to focus on my spirit; my soul. It is in that quiet time that I feed my soul “breakfast” and prepare to face the day ahead. The soul requires a time for adventure and excitement as well as solitude and stillness; it requires balance.

As I write this I am sitting cross legged on a cheesy beach motel bed with very loud music (Uptown Funk…don’t judge) blasting through my earbuds eating take out and marinating my mind with the memories of the past few days spent with my husband’s siblings, their spouses, a couple cousins and nieces sprinkled in the mix. With my in laws resting in their Heavenly home, we recognize the need to nourish our souls as a family, soaking up the love, laughter and memories and how important it is to continue to enjoy the gift they left behind; family. Gathered around in a circle each taking a turn offering up a memory, thought or toast my sweet quiet niece Katherine quietly shared that although we all live in different places she knows that if she ever needed anything she could count on each and every one of those in the room. That my friends is soul feeding stuff; the stuff that will carry the next generation through the tough times in their lives when they find themselves gathered around remembering this weekend and the many that are sure to follow. Acknowledging that no family is perfect we must accept each other’s imperfections as part of the gift; it’s part of the soul feeding experience.

How do you feed your soul? What is it that you do to fill your spirit, nurture your soul and keep balance in your life? If you do not have a feeding trough for your soul I suggest that you get one, fill it up and allow your soul to grow. Make time to laugh loudly, live authentically and love deeply. It is when our souls are full, our hearts are happy and at peace we are not only better for ourselves but for those we love and who love us. Grab your life bowl and fill it with the good stuff, the chicken soup for your soul.

Peace,
Karla

I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

Read more Karla’s Korner, also please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.

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