We spend quite a bit of time feeding and nourishing our physical body. What about the deeper feeding, the nourishment of our soul? And what about the souls of those individuals in our life?
Follow me through this unusual cookbook as we discover together some recipes for living a more meaningful and beautiful life.
Recipe for harmonious living:
· A mutual sharing of ideas. The more sharing the better.
· Humor. Laugh at yourself. Don't take yourself so seriously.
· Joy. Bring as much joy into your life as you can. The more joy the better.
· Beauty. Surround yourself in beauty: beautiful environment, beautiful clothes (not especially expensive), beautiful smiles, beautiful thoughts, beautiful words, beautiful actions, beautiful people.
· Love. This is the unconditional form of love. Love with abandon. Don't worry about what you will get in return for your love. Just love. Love as a little child -- love because that is who you really are.
· Wisdom. Wisdom is different from knowledge. Knowledge is facts and figures. Wisdom is the deeper meaning behind all of life. Wisdom sees into the causes of events and happenings. Wisdom acts with caring and foresight. Wisdom knows what is up ahead and strives to accomplish its vision.
· Truth and honesty with all individuals and especially with yourself.
· Freedom to express yourself the way you want, and the freedom for others to do the same.
· Explore life and all the people in your life.
· Enjoy people. What do you have to offer them? Take the focus off of yourself for a while and see what happens.
· Gratitude. Thankfulness for all the gifts that have been bestowed upon you. Thanks to God, the beauty of nature and all its wonderful gifts and all the special people who have influenced you throughout your life.
· Bless those individuals who have crossed your path during the day. Bless the animals too, for they constantly give love and devotion without demands. They may beg for a bone or a petting and a kind word, but they are always content just to be in your presence.
Recipe for joy:
· One or two bags of smiles. Pass the smiles out to everyone gathered. Give them the biggest smiles you can find.
· Unrestrained laughter. Laughter just for the fun of it.
· Be as a little child -- full of wonder, excitement, and the magic of life.
· A bubble making kit -- the bigger the bubbles you can make the better.
· People to share it with -- as many people as you can gather together outside in a park, beach, or even your backyard.
· Mix all the ingredients together. Let people make as many and as big a bubble as they can. See who can make the biggest and the longest lasting bubble. Send the bubble off into the sky. See how far it travels.
· Put as much laughter and smiles into the mix as possible. Joy is now being created and released into the atmosphere as it hits everyone in its path.
· Now take the joy you have discovered home with you. Use it as often as possible and not just for special occasions. The wonderful thing about joy is that the more joy you share, the more joy will come back to you. Now isn't this better than chocolate?
Recipe for successful living
· Take this thought with you as you continue about your daily business:
· Before saying anything ask yourself, "Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?" These questions are Buddha's gift to us. Let us think before we speak, and act.
· There is no need for idle gossip, criticism, or judgment.
· Listen to your heart in your daily life. Your heart will speak to you if you allow it an opportunity to do so. Ask your heart what to do in various situations? You will be surprised at what little hints, and circumstances will work out when you take the time to listen.
· Now put heart into action in everything that you do, and see how harmonious and beautiful life can be.
Soul Food
Now that you have a couple of recipes to use as often as possible, let's talk about the basic ingredient in all of life.
What is this thing called "Soul Food"? It is not a physical ingredient that you can see and measure. It is more than this. It is the love that underlies all of creation. It is the basic ingredient of all of life. It is all the beauty, joy, magic, and wonder of God's gift to us. What we have been given is to be shared with everyone, not just the privileged few.
This is the gift of life - sharing our beauty, love, and joy with others. And we will find the more we share our wonderful gifts, the more we will have to share again and again.
Use Soul Food as often as you can and you will discover
there is so much more to life than just getting by. Life takes on a whole
new meaning. We have unlimited freedom to be beautiful and loving individuals.
Why not start now putting Soul Food into our daily life and sharing it with
others? Give it a try and see what wonders await you!
Karin Pekarcik is a freelance writer living in Anaheim,
California. She is currently editor and writer at Native Planet Publishing
and Heartstrings Press in Los Angeles. (714) 525-8770. Email: KarinJulia@aol.com.