Tag Archives: Nourishment

May 2013 Soul and Solace

Creativity/Spirituality, , ,

Gardens & Choices

Much like the story our Young Writers will explore this month, my husband and I started this weekend to resurrect our long-neglected garden. We tilled, we hauled and set limestone blocks, we laid out landscape fabric, we spread mulch. We also engaged in tug-of-war with some mighty determined roots. But it’s not a garden yet; it’s a garden plot. Now we choose: Tomatoes? Okra? Peppers? Garlic?

Gardens, it seems, are all about choice. We chose veggies over the plants that had homesteaded in the space; we’ll choose tomatoes instead of celery. We’ll say “no” to this, so we can say “yes” to that. And through our choices, blended with the magic elixir of sun, showers, soil, and sweat, we’ll grow a garden.

Saying no feels like bad manners, especially if you’ve been raised to be a “nice girl.” But saying no to what is not me clears a space for me to say yes to what is. So this month, I’ll also be tending my soul garden: uprooting what does not provide good nourishment, so I can plant what will thrive in my soul’s soil. Tomatoes, anyone?

How do you choose between no and yes? How do you tend your soul garden? Share your thoughts.

January 2009 Soul and Solace

Creativity/Spirituality, , ,

Okay, I admit it—I LOVE Christmas music. I’ve been known to play it in the middle of July, just because I required a fix. And I’ve been grieving because, several years ago, the bell tower on César Cheváz played holiday songs that I reveled in as I walked, but, after that year, I never heard them again.

This holiday season both my husband and I were searching for “pay the rent” jobs and looking toward a new year filled with large question marks. One day as we walked, the bell tower chimed the hour, and then—delight!—began to chime Christmas music. After that, we timed our walks so we would be near the tower when the music began. The throb of the music pulsed through our walking feet and the bell’s vibrations pulsed in our ears until it seemed our hearts pumped in rhythm to their insistent best. In a season of perplexity, the bells rang out beauty, clarity, and harmony.

What music nourishes you? This month, gift yourself with its listening. Find a time free of distractions, choose a comfortable position (on a squishy couch, a firm mattress, or yoga-style on the grass) and give yourself up to the music. Listen again and again, if you like. The time is well spent.