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Today's
quotation:
For all
my good intentions, there are days when things go wrong or I fall
into old habits. When things are not going well, when I'm grumpy
or mad,
I'll realize that I've not been paying attention to my soul
and I've not been following my best routine.
Robert Fulghum
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Today's
Meditation:
My
spirit. Do we have a soul that we pay attention to
and take care of, or are we souls who are only
inhabiting a body for a while for some reason that we're
only vaguely aware of? If we are spirits by nature,
then whoever caused us to be distracted so much by the
world that we completely neglect our true natures has done
a very good job--most of us have completely forgotten that
we're much, much more than just this body on this planet
for the time being.
When
we neglect our true nature, we suffer greatly because we
don't do the things that our spirits--our true selves--really
need in order to thrive. And what do our true selves
need? They need beauty, they need to give and
witness compassion and love. Instead of reading
another novel about a serial killer, perhaps we could
throw an inspiring novel of hope and courage into the
mix. Instead of sitting down to another evening of
television, we could take a walk, or go see a live show--
theater or music--and witness other human beings creating
art right in front of us. Or maybe we could just sit
quietly for an evening, enjoying soft music or even--just
maybe--silence.
Many of our worst moods are attributable to a lack of
balance in our lives. Sometimes it's diet, sometimes
it's sleep, sometimes it's working too much--but often
it's because we neglect what we are at our core.
That part of us needs nourishment, also, and it's up to us
to provide that nourishment in a positive and purposeful
manner.
I don't believe that we're people who have souls--I
believe that we're souls inhabiting bodies. It's
very easy for us to forget this, though, amongst all the
messages that our world sends out to us constantly, urging
us to buy, consume, and live in certain ways. The
spirit's needs are simple, but they are still needs, and
it's important that we don't neglect them.
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