835th Week: Finding Sources of Nourishment
As I sit in the park this morning, surrounded by large trees, I am keenly aware of what is a deep “relief of return”. Each year when the trees again wear their garments of green, my body and psyche go through the same kind of relief—almost a physical “sigh” as I settle into the visual and physical feast of taking in the green. The challenge is to remember to give myself this gift as often as I can.
This gets me to thinking, yet again, about sources of nourishment and how important it is to take time to nourish ourselves, body and psyche. Sources of nourishment are quite individual. For example, some people I’m close to are nourished by engaging in creative activities such as acting, singing, or crafts (severely curtailed during Covid but still happening on-line). Others have created regular zoom gatherings with friends, finding ways to keep up to date with each other and share experiences. Still others find ways to go hiking as often as possible, immersing themselves in the presence of nature as they exercise.
For this week’s practice in conscious living, I invite you to bring to mind your most treasured source of nourishment and then to see how you might offer it to yourself a bit more often. For me, it means getting up early enough to be in the park before it’s crowded with all the people that flock here later in the morning and throughout the day, picnicking, exercising, walking, sitting—enjoying the park in a wide variety of ways.
As I write this, it’s a cloudy day, but here are a couple of photos of the trees that surround me as I write this practice.
What are the things you would like to do and what do you need to do to make that happen? Take some time this week to offer yourself whatever form of nourishment is available to you that feeds both your body and your soul. Take some time to fill up with the experience, whatever it is.
As with all these practices, be sure to bring along curiosity as your constant companion. Curiosity opens us to exploration and discovery, so you may find that you are drawn to trying out something new this week. Also, please remember to pat gently on the head any judgments that may arise, allowing them to move on through without your having to do anything about them.