Soul care.
Just the thought of those words breathes life into my being. Old, stale air is pushed out, the fresh, clean stuff rushes in where it finds a vacancy. Just a taste of what I’ve been after.
Truth be told, I coined the term “the holistic table,” quite some time ago, but I couldn’t really hold on to what I meant. I was coming off of a stint as a Beachbody coach, determined to mold the rich parts of the voice I discovered into something helpful, valuable, and life-giving.
For sure, there were bites of good stuff in there. I know the rich, full life I’m after is best lived holistically. I’ve learned a thing or two about that into my pursuits. Still, when I struggled (which has been a lot this year. I moved 1600 miles from the life I’ve been used to last summer, and while I still believe it was a good move, it hasn’t been without growing pains), I leaned on my default. I blamed my body for uncomfortable feelings. I threw myself into eating plans, convinced I’d feel better if I would just create new, strict eating habits. At some point, I would be able to see what I was doing for what it was, but I’d fall back into the same trap, but with a different eating structure the next time.
Those meal plans let me ignore what my unseen self really needed, because if I could patch it all up with what I put in my mouth, then I didn’t need to remove the bandage long enough to really clean a wound or let it air out. The ignored parts of me would eventually stage their rebellion, pushing out of me in the form of relentless cries for chocolate (and lots of it), exhaustion, or a miserable attitude.
I am hungry for more! my whole self asserted. I’d find that more, but I have had such trouble staying there. A pursued life is never static, and those old band aids are always available.
I’ve been told that I don’t tend to share my “life lessons” until I have them figured out. There is a certain level of guarded-ness in the “vulnerability” I share online, for better or for worse.
But this time, my friend, I am inviting you to walk this winding path with me. My unhelpful defaults are still there. I feel like I am breathing fresh air just thinking “soul care. soul care. soul care.” I am just getting my hiking boots on, and there’s always room for one more.
Sarah's Table 