It comes in many forms (although rarely out of a box). I spent the morning in the sun catching up with a friend I made in early sobriety. We met at an AA meeting that never happened. The two of us were the only people who showed up so we left and got coffee. The rest is history. I didn’t really want to attend an AA meeting but I did want to make some new friends who didn’t drink and I got that. We both love Thai food, going to the pool and the PNW. She has shown up for my art shows, applauded me while I parallel parked, inspired me to become more physically fit over the years and today… instead of making myself a baller breakfast I needed to sit in the sun and have a laugh with her. It made me feel like $100. We all know that eating well is my message but that isn’t the end all be all of health. It looks like many things. Joy, a laugh, a safe place to land, emotional and financial stability, spiritual practice.. so many things. So I wanted to throw out some non-food related ways to nourish yourself.
Connect - spend time with people who meet you in the middle and accept you for who you are. If they can make you laugh too that’s even better.
Disconnect - pull away from relationships that wear you down or make you feel taxed, confused, tired, stuck or like you aren’t good enough. This may sound like a given but sometimes people (by people I am including myself) need a nudge or even permission to just let a relationship go. If you need it - you’ve got it. Delete, exit, walk away. Make room for the good stuff.
Get Physical - exercise or play a game that gets your endorphins going. Fly a kite, have sex, ride your bike, dance until you are a little stinky. It’ll pump fresh oxygen through your whole system and make you feel alive.
Sleep - shut down or break down as I like to say.
Clean - regularly make your space feel amazazing. Clean it up, put everything where it is supposed to go and keep the things that make you happiest in view. Making your personal space beautiful and easy to navigate will do wonders for your mental state. It will save you time and keep you from experiencing the frustration of not being able to find what you need. That is not a feeling you want to have in your home. Take a second and I magine the subconscious implications of that.
Day 327: A decaf latte and a buckwheat almond financier out of a paper bag in the sun.