Photo Above by Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeg. Photo Below by Toni Lozano.
At the beginning of this week, I felt restless and discontent, but couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was bothering me. Although I am currently on vacation, I hadn’t been truly enjoying myself. What is it that was bothering me? For the life of me, I just couldn’t grasp it.
I discussed it over dinner with my wife, and she asked exactly what it was that I had planned to accomplish while I was off. My personal agenda included spending quality time with her, writing, hiking, and going down to the beach. Then she asked if there was something keeping me from doing those things. I explained that I just didn’t feel inspired to write and felt altogether disconnected. The problem was that I had not felt spiritually nurtured these past few days. Cathy then suggested that I write about the importance of daily spiritual nurturing - here I am doing exactly that.
You see, I’m not very good at taking the time for my spiritual pursuits. I go to church on Sundays, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Church is a social gathering place, and as such a few Sundays out of the year focus on that social aspect - last Sunday was just one of those Sundays. Couple that with my habit of staying up well past midnight, as well as not taking proper care of my anxiety, and Johnny-boy becomes a soulless twitching zombie. It’s important that I find the time to do *something* spiritual each day, and writing about spirituality is too cerebral to count.
Why is it so important that I do something spiritual each day? Because it provides clarity and inspiration. I love to create and my main outlet for creativity is writing. Without proper inspiration, my writing becomes noticeably flat. Spiritual practices allow my to step away from my fears and live a fuller life. As an introvert, I have a hard time connecting with others - but spirituality makes it possible for me to let down my guard and become more personable. Although I am naturally an optimist, I have also had bouts of depression in the past. Spirituality helps me maintain a positive outlook and is good therapy when I find this challenging.
If nothing else, I should at the very least find time to meditate every day. Optimally, I would like to meditate, read, pray, and perhaps engage in a little qabalistic ritual every day, but that might be a bit of a tall order for me, seeing as I’m such a slacker. Regardless of what I do, doing a little bit each day is what I personally need in my life. I don’t pretend to speak for everyone, but I find it necessary. Perhaps you might feel the same way?
written by John \\ tags: Inspiration, Life, Nurturing, Ritual, Spirituality
