What feeds your soul?

[lilnymph28]

What a wonderfully thought provoking question! There are so many answers though, and all of them are the simplest of things. Love, of family and friends, and my animal companions.... being needed and being allowed to need in return.... books and imagination..... thunder storms and cold clear winter skies.... the ocean at night.

all of a sudden, I feel quite like Julie Andrews.... "these are a few of my favorite things!"

 

[sheath]

It seems like 'shafts of light', as I like to call them, come from everywhere. What feeds my soul is always so simple...

My children. Listening to them talk, watching them sleep, watching them grow.

The moments that cannot be rehearsed, planned, or duplicated...like that impromptu picnic, that sudden 'I love you' from a child at the most unlikely moment, that good dream that makes me wake up feeling happy and safe.

Seeing my name in print.

Hearing a sweet guitar singing its notes as I go to sleep.

Phone calls in the middle of the night.

Seeing a friend smile.

Knowing, without a doubt, that life only gets better from here.

Making love in the rain.

Laughter, tears that are understood, and a compassionate touch.

And so many more...

S.

 

[Kemet]

I would have to say.

Writing
Good music
And being loved.


Although I have to be honest at this point , that I feel lately like my soul is slowly dying.

 

[midwestyankee]

I would have to say.

Writing
Good music
And being loved.


Although I have to be honest at this point , that I feel lately like my soul is slowly dying.

Might I suggest looking around at the banquet table of fine nourishments for the soul that has been set before you? Perhaps you will find a dish that has heretofore missed your eye.

Or perhaps it's time to bring someone else to the table with you?

 

[College_geek]

There is too many to list right here off the top of my head, but here it goes:

*friends
*family
*music
*love
*humor
*hugs
*dance
*art
*knowledge
*films (perhaps the most superficial looking on the list, but watching a good film can leave such an imprint on me and can make me feel like a different person; they enrich my life just as much as music and art.)

 

[Sybarist]

The most important thing to me has got to be Recognition & Validation: of me as a person, a daughter, a mother, a woman, a sister, a friend, a whatever... To be recognized as valid and important in any of my life roles just fills my soul to overflowing, especially if it's a spontaneous thing.

Creativity and the ability to express it. Creating something that comes from inside myself is fulfilling. When I am at a point where my creativity is stifled I feel incomplete and tormented.

The ability to recognize and appreciate the beauty of Nature My soul would be lost without the outdoors as I know I need to experience it. Sometimes the beauty of one flower petal is enough to bring things into a perspective never imagined.

Love To be able to give it as freely as I want to without fear of rejection or failure. Recieving it without feeling obligated or put within constraints of emotional control. To love and be loved without fear...

Solitude without time to hear myself think I would not have the chance to know who I truly am.

I think that is it...
Interesting topic!
Syb.

 

[sheath]

I would have to say.

Writing
Good music
And being loved.


Although I have to be honest at this point , that I feel lately like my soul is slowly dying.

Please know that I am here for you...and you are one of those special friends who feeds MY soul.

S.

 

[Filbod]

excellent topic of conversation for those late nights on the internet...

i'd have to say as with the rest in no particular order: being able to take a little time where you don't give a f*** (well, obviously with exceptions), always learning and taking things in, having those special moments with people and enjoying ALL the senses...

Hmm.. that's quite a lot, but there's a lot more out there.. and I'm out to find it

 

[sheath]

More...

Hearing my grandmother laugh...knowing she is happy.

Talking to my little brothers on the phone and not being able to get a word in edgewise.

Walking out into my backyard in the middle of the night in that thin nightgown, feeling the breeze on my skin and knowing a storm is rolling in. *sigh* Bliss...

My little man playing in the bathtub, splashing water all over the floor by accident and being confident in the knowledge that mom won't get too mad.

Most of all, tonight it was watching my little girl sleep...she fell asleep in the middle of her floor, a crayon in one hand and a melting popsicle in the other. Dirty feet from playing outside, hair all a mess...she was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

Like I heard in a movie once..."My cup runneth over..."

S.

 

[College_geek]

A few more:

*Seeing my parents kiss and knowing that they still love each other
*having a good conversation with either my mom, my dad, or my younger sister (a good conversation is always better than a fight )

 

[crazybbwgirl]

What a good question - and something to ponder too. My answers are simple:

Watching my daughters turn into the most awesome grown ups.
Being on the Lake.
Restoring my little lake house - slowly room by room!

Those 3 are a must - all the rest is just extra gravy.

 

[Phoenix Stone]

Is that all Phoenix?

Lol

Nope. Not by a long shot! Here's 3 more:1. pondering 2. being thorough with the things I love and 3. getting the last word

Did you notice that whilst you were busy razzing me (or was sticking out your tongue meant to convey admiration at the impressive size of my, err, post?) you didn't post your Own soul satisfiers? So, please allow me to do it for you.

1. sticking out your tongue at well-meaning strangers
2. teasing without putting out

( )

 

[Ms_Lilith]

God.

My mom.

And my man.

In that order. Art, music, nature, etc, come after that.. but before anything else, I need God in my life. My mom, I think I would be lost without.. and while I have no desire to live without my man, I am sure that if I had to, I could. I would be alright. But it would hurt like hell.

 

[horny_boi]

sheath sheath sheath
Wonder the best way to greet you, hello is not enough
G'Day Sheath !
What feeds MY soul . . . . . Hmm
Probably The Joy Of 'innocently' letting you know what us aussies have to offer

Hmm true. Probably making people i care about happy thats what feeds my soul

 

[Phoenix Stone]

Ok, more. (Yes, I love this topic, and keep trying to go deeper.)

There is what feels Night soul, and what feeds Day soul.

Night soul is fed by Edge play -- anything from bungee jumping (one time only and will never do again, btw), certain sex games, knowing I can always travel and get away from where I am, skiing, white water rafting, certain songs sung at the top of my lungs, things like talking a guy out of knifing my co-worker, Impact self-defense classes, walking city streets at night enjoying the lights and the night people.

Day soul is fed by things like that warm honey feeling you can get coursing through your body from meditation, carrying my kids, looking at or touching the tiny soft baby hairs at the back of my husband's neck, early mornings that are just cracking open so tender they break your heart, that cuddly feeling snuggled in bed when you don't want to get up and don't have to.

In the end, the things that will matter will be the times I helped the people I love, and any ways I may have helped People, helped the world be a better place, by whatever positive means.
Day to day though, sustainers, those things that keep me going, keep me from feeling despondent, are some of the usual, such as music, the mundane, such as coffee, lots of hugs, remembering to enjoy simple pleasures like the rain, flowers, perfume, reading -- the things everyone says. So lots of hugs to everyone, and I'm gonna keep bumping this one, because it got some great reminders in it. Thank you, sheath, for doing this.

 

[sheath]

Ok, more. (Yes, I love this topic, and keep trying to go deeper.)

There is what feels Night soul, and what feeds Day soul.

Night soul is fed by Edge play -- anything from bungee jumping (one time only and will never do again, btw), certain sex games, knowing I can always travel and get away from where I am, skiing, white water rafting, certain songs sung at the top of my lungs, things like talking a guy out of knifing my co-worker, Impact self-defense classes, walking city streets at night enjoying the lights and the night people.

Day soul is fed by things like that warm honey feeling you can get coursing through your body from meditation, carrying my kids, looking at or touching the tiny soft baby hairs at the back of my husband's neck, early mornings that are just cracking open so tender they break your heart, that cuddly feeling snuggled in bed when you don't want to get up and don't have to.

In the end, the things that will matter will be the times I helped the people I love, and any ways I may have helped People, helped the world be a better place, by whatever positive means.
Day to day though, sustainers, those things that keep me going, keep me from feeling despondent, are some of the usual, such as music, the mundane, such as coffee, lots of hugs, remembering to enjoy simple pleasures like the rain, flowers, perfume, reading -- the things everyone says. So lots of hugs to everyone, and I'm gonna keep bumping this one, because it got some great reminders in it. Thank you, sheath, for doing this.

Oh, I LIKE that...night soul and day soul. Various kinds of souls, and what feeds one does not necessarily feed the other.

I'm going to have to do some more thinking.

Thanks for running with the thread, Phoenix Stone. It's taking on a much wider and broader dimension now.

S.

 

[sheath]

My night soul comes alive with a thunderstorm. To hear the thunder rumble, to see the lightning flash, does something to me deep inside that I cannot explain. It brings to life all that I am at the core. It is an excitement that makes me want to run outside and dance with the rain. And I usually do...my night soul is fed by wildness in the midst of mundane.

My day soul is everything that everyone else sees...the mommy who loves her kids, the friend who cares, the writer who buckles down to get the job done. But the night soul...that is the part of me that truly defines the inner me, that part of me that feeds all the rest.

S.

 

[ABN_Ranger]

Ya know.. now that y'all say it... sitting here and actually pondering... the whole different soul theory really works with me.
depending on where I am... totally opposite things can feed mine. Huh... myst-eeeeeeeeeeeeerious. I'll ponder this more and get back to this one.

J

 

[Astrum]

Pretty simple for me. Love.

I'm not too concerned with my own life, heck I don't even care to be living when I'm not with someone. Thats my goal, to find the right one; everything else is just to pass the time.

 

[midwestyankee]

Laughter.

Smiles.

A simple, "Thanks, Dad" from one of the children.

Talking deeply with someone who can virtually read my mind.

Music, especially Beethoven.

Running.

OK, I'll stop now before my soul needs Weight Watchers.

Time to revisit my original list, which was done on the spur of the moment in order to be the very first poster to a Sheath thread.

Let's see.

I forgot the joy and profound satisfaction I get from cheering up someone who is feeling down.

And then there is the soul-building satisfaction of writing something pure and true. It's rare, but remarkably fulfilling when it happens.

I used the phrase "talking deeply" the first time around. By that I meant talking intimately with someone I love.

For some reason, I did not put sex on my first list in any form. To correct that error, let me add seeing pure satisfaction in my lover's eyes.

It's not just the running, but the emotional and physical high that follows a good hard run. Running hard in the rain or cold weather leaves me nearly ecstatic when I'm done.

The other huge omission from my original list was food. I don't require extraordinarily fancy cuisine, but there is something fundamentally satisfying about well-prepared fresh foods presented cleanly in a beautiful setting, eaten in good company.



mwy

 

[College_geek]

Some more things...more spirital-nature-y type of things:
*the sound of the rain as I go to sleep (this one is especially nutricious for the soul )
*sunshine just starting to peek through gray clouds
*a big bright rainbow (I've only seen a few really good ones in my life, so it always makes a day better when I do see one)
*the feeling of a gentle cool breeze on a hot summer day

 

[sheath]

What feeds my soul...

Seeing my ex-husband walk right into my house, because he knows he is welcome there, and bring in McDonald's for the kids. AND me. Just because he knows I like fish sandwiches and he was "just driving by". Being good friends with my ex-husband is a sweet thing that makes me feel warm inside.

Dancing in the kitchen at midnight, soap suds all over my hands and my shirt and the floor, dancing because I just HAVE to move to that song...then hearing my dear friend's guitar from the other room, and his voice starts to sing "She is dancin' in the kitchen when she should be doin' dishes..." and there you go...ten minutes later, a new song is born!

Seeing my kids sleep.

Getting a letter from my little boy that says "I love you. I love the cookies. I love it when tell me to run outside hurry hurry and look when you hear a helicopter because I like them." (Oh, GAWD, I need to cry now...)

Tripping over a guitar that has been left in the living room floor. Getting angry and then deciding to pick it up and play it instead.

Calling my grandmother and talking for two hours about nothing at all.

Wearing a sundress when it is still just a little too cold for it. Hurry, spring!

Incense. Oh, yeah.

There's more, but my heart is too full right now to name them all.

S.

 

[College_geek]

Seeing my ex-husband walk right into my house, because he knows he is welcome there, and bring in McDonald's for the kids. AND me. Just because he knows I like fish sandwiches and he was "just driving by". Being good friends with my ex-husband is a sweet thing that makes me feel warm inside.

See, that's the type of situation I always love to hear about. It saddens me when a divorced couple can't be friends afterwards. The scene you mention and others like them are so much better for everyone in the family. It makes me glad.

 

[crazybbwgirl]

See, that's the type of situation I always love to hear about. It saddens me when a divorced couple can't be friends afterwards. The scene you mention and others like them are so much better for everyone in the family. It makes me glad.

mmm, my exhusband called last week and told me I didn't know what a real beating was. Does that count? lol But it does help me when I remember all the times I scrubbed out the toilet with his toothbrush. Its been 20 years - should I tell him?

 

[midwestyankee]

mmm, my exhusband called last week and told me I didn't know what a real beating was. Does that count? lol But it does help me when I remember all the times I scrubbed out the toilet with his toothbrush. Its been 20 years - should I tell him?

Only if you think he's still using the same toothbrush.