soul searchin'

I was searching for an apropos quote about the body-mind-soul connection. I have been thinking a lot about that lately. And I have also been thinking about how quick we are to ignore our soul's aches and needs, while never giving a second thought to how we labor over our bodies' appearance. We look to the sky, to others for approval, to money for happiness. Why don't we look inward for these things? Why don't we protect our souls the way we protect our skin and tooth enamel?

I think that we (or at least I) tend to think of the body as discrete sets of systems–the brain, the digestive system, the reproductive system, and so on. When one acts up, we go see a specialist. The truth, I think, is that that they're all interdependent and all require some sort of balance. And balance, perhaps, is achieved through listening quietly to ourselves for guidance. The point is, the answer isn't on Oprah and it isn't in our role models, who probably have problems of their own. The answer is most likely within us somewhere.

So I am promising myself to do a better job of balancing my life. This time, I'm going to count myself into the balance and figure out what works for me–not based on what anyone chooses to do, but on what feeds and nurtures my spirit, as well as my body and mind.