50 Ways to Feed Your Soul

By Adele Ryan McDowell. Ph.D.

Remember Paul Simon’s song, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”? It’s a catchy tune, right? In fact, can you see me humming? I am loosely, very loosely, borrowing the concept. Instead of talking about ditching your lover, I am going for a gentler, happier thought and want to consider: 50 ways to feed your soul.

Now, “What exactly is the soul?” you ask. The soul is our personal essence, our karmic essence, if you accept the expansive idea of karma. It is the star seed we each carry that is beyond the confines of our physical self. It is the light force within our individual being, our personal twinkling, if you will.

To deconstruct a bit further: Someone once shared the analogy with me that our soul is the light bulb, and our spirit is an animating, vital force akin to the incandescent filament within that bulb. I like that idea. Soul and spirit go hand-in-hand. For our purposes, we will consider the gestalt of the whole light bulb.

And the analogy is perfect, for what feeds our soul is what lights us up. Feeding the soul is an individual event. What feeds my soul, such as an arcing sweep of butterfly-shaped white petals on a single stem, may not do it for you. However, the book I am savoring may be right up your alley.

In broad strokes, the soul yearns for beauty, art, harmony, stillness, awe, a connection with the cosmos, communion with others, and moments of play. The soul desires to be illuminated with all that makes us feel whole, a part of, and in the flow. The soul revels in joy and merry making; it delights in creative expression. The soul is nurtured by authentic and genuine responses.

The soul lives in the moment. Like a Christmas tree, the soul sparkles with light when it is plugged in. So, what are some of the ways to plug into your particular soul on this very busy Planet Earth, where life is not dull and there is so much input of information, demands, and everyday stimulation? Most days are fast and hurried trying to keep abreast, keep track, and keep it together.

So, for your consideration, here are 50 ways to feed your soul. May you be reminded of what turns you on, fills you up, and lights your bulb.

1. Have a pillow fight.
2. Sit in the garden; walk in the forest.
3. Wrap yourself in quietude.
4. Smell a rose.
5. Smell a baby.
6. Smell your lover’s neck.
7. Surrender to love.
8. Surrender to silliness.
9. Think of possibilities.
10. Doodle.
11. Let go.
12. Let God.
13. Let someone else have a turn.
14. Watch a rain storm.
15. Make eye contact smile.
16. Listen to children playing on a late summer evening.
17. Share the full moon with a friend on the phone.
18. Jump into a mound of fall leaves.
19. Make snow angels.
20. Swim with the dolphins.
21. Do yoga on the beach.
22. Have your feet rubbed.
23. Buy yourself flowers.
24. Enchant a child with a story.
25. Open your clown chakra.
26. Laugh and giggle; romp and play.
27. Stop.
28. Create beauty; see beauty.
29. Fill a room with lilacs.
30. Forgive yourself – for everything.
31. Take a stroll at sunset.
32. Sing in the shower.
33. Listen to the ocean’s ebb and flow.
34. Have a conversation by candlelight.
35. Play in the dirt; plant some seedling greenness.
36. Climb into a bed with fresh, crisp linens.
37. Bake bread.
38. Talk with the angels.
39. Place a jar of wild flowers on your desk.
40. Read a poem every morning.
41. Climb to the top of the mountain.
42. Lend a hand.
43. Hold hands.
44. Finger paint.
45. Listen to music on a summer night, al fresco
46. Capture your imagination with a good read.
47. Take a bubble bath.
48. Dance spontaneously in the kitchen.
49. Play with a puppy.
50. Be willing to learn the lessons that joy can teach.

Onward, dear ones, to a daily life dotted with some soulful momennts to remind you of your wonderfully expansive Self.

© Copyright 2009 by Adele Ryan McDowell