Feed Your Soul by Laura Lewis

Laura Lewis is a television host, currently hosting Empty Nesters on Veria TV, an author, a healthy lifestyle expert, a spokesperson,  and the founder of the lifestyle brand Crazy Beautiful(TM)

Until you know that life is interesting–and find it so–you haven’t found your soul.
~Geoffrey Fisher

After dropping my son off at school one recent morning I decided to deviate from my normal morning routine (which consists of returning home and immediately diving into writing). Crazy as it sounds, I was inspired to change things up by my 120-pound golden retriever, Tucker.

Tucker usually comes along on the morning ride to school. It’s a comical sight to see: his huge head hanging out of the window of my small car, it’s clear that he’s enjoying one of the greatest pleasures his doggie brain can experience. The wind blows back Tucker’s face and floppy ears and he seems to love every minute of it! It feeds his soul. This particular morning, I thought to myself: I need some soul time, too.

So I drove to a small neighborhood lake, where tall trees line the grassy banks. I could hear the chirping of baby ducks. A gaggle of Canadian geese circled overhead, wings flapping as they sent out to one another warning signals of the human intruder and her galloping sidekick.

For me, there is something extremely peaceful about this place. The fresh air and the soft wind warm my heart. Tucker is also overjoyed in this spot. His natural retriever instincts kick in and he seems to contemplate diving into the water to chase the gliding feathered creatures.

I do this every now and then: escape to someplace peaceful, take a break from life. But I probably don’t do it often enough. Being in nature, and especially around birds, is one of the more pleasurable ways I feed my soul.

In one episode of my show Empty Nesters  I visited a nature preserve called The Heard Natural Science Museum in McKinney, Texas. During my stay I observed volunteers banding tiny birds in order to track them after their release into the wild—and I was given the opportunity to release one myself. With the tiny bird in my palm, I raised my arm and opened my hand. The bird stood still for a few seconds, looking right at me. ”You can go, sweetie,” I said, and it flew away. It was an amazing moment and a wonderful feeling. My soul reveled in it. Somewhere deep inside my soul was saying, “thank you!”

As we get older we can begin to identify those things that make us feel good and those that do not. But too many of us stop prioritizing ourselves as time passes: we may be consumed with our kids, our marriage or our work.

I’m urging you to take the time to create a menu for your soul. What feeds you? What used to feed you? What new experiences can you try, just to see if they’ll make your soul snap out of its slumber? Going to a concert, painting, laughing with friends, taking a hike, walking on the beach, feeding birds from a park bench or watching a beautiful sunset—these are all choice selections from the menu for your soul.

Here’s your assignment for today. Make a list of the things that you want to experience. And every day choose one item from this “menu.” Make choosing from the list a regular part of your day. And you may very well experience a “thank you” feeling from deep inside, which will bring with it a sense of peace and a big smile.

Original post written by Laura Lewis for Veria TV may be found here.

*photo by pink sherbet photography on flickr