Hello beautiful Monday people! As we look forward to a week of, well, let’s be honest, whatevers, may we notice the beauty that nourishes us, act on the kindness that lives within us, and have faith in a God that loves us!
Our Monday Motivation focus this week is ‘nourish.’ Nourishment is essential for living, but there are several ways we can nourish ourselves.
The most obvious being the choices we make for our health and well-being. I took me way too many years to learn about nutrition and how my food and drink choices could literally change my life.
Choose to nourish your body
As a kid, food and drinks were treats or rewards. It wasn’t often that our whole family embarked on an outing, so the occasional trip to the A&W Root Beer stand for a frosty mug was a big treat. Back in the day, they served root beer in REAL glass mugs that came out of the freezer, and they had kid size! Also, ordering dessert at a restaurant was very rare, so I loved going to Furr’s Cafeteria where I could select the pudding parfait or pie of my choice.
You get the idea. As an adult, this translated into a pint of beer or ice cream after a hard work week. We may get away with this while we are young, but at some point, our bodies rebel. Don’t wait to experience the rebellion. Make your health, physical and mental, a priority. We can’t be a blessing to others if we feel sick, depleted, or depressed.
Get to love fruits and vegetables. God made them for us for a reason. It’s what we need to be our best. It’s all about balance and finding friendly alternatives. I found some ice cream bars made with Greek yogurt that are delicious, nutritious, and squelch my cravings. With flavors like salted caramel, cookie dough, and fudge brownie, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.
Next, how do you nourish your mind? Do you practice self-care, set boundaries, and take time to quiet your mind? Carve out alone time, creative time, time to dedicate to others. Mediation, journaling, prayer, reading, music, watching sports, or your favorite Hallmark movies. We all need time to refresh and recharge and skipping it will take its toll.
What nourishes your soul?
Finally, I want you to think about something. Have you gotten away from something that nourishes your soul? I think of this as a creative activity that just makes you feel peaceful and whole. This may be something that helps you forget about negative stuff and brings you back to a positive head space. An activity that is special to you.
For me, it is gardening. I love the smell and feel of the dirt, to see the beautiful results of the work. At one time, we moved from our house to an old Victorian building in a small downtown area. We converted the back into an apartment and ran a shop from the front. It was a childhood dream come true, and I loved every minute. But there was no place for gardening, a couple of plants at the entrance, not much else. I thought that was okay as I was keeping busy with different creative activities. It wasn’t until we moved from there and into our new place that had a small bed out front I could play in that I realized how much gardening nourished my soul.
This week, as you explore how to best nourish yourself, consider this quote by an author I follow, Holley Gerth: “Life isn’t about being productive. It’s about being purposeful. God isn’t pressuring you to be productive today. He’s inviting you to be quietly purposeful for a lifetime.” I believe this includes practices that nourish your body, mind, and soul.
“Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8
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