What does taking care of our souls look like today, this week, especially for those of us living in Georgia, so tuned in to the school shooting that took place not far from our congregation’s place of worship?
For some, taking care of our souls means taking some sort of meaningful action. Meaningful action, itself, can take many forms from political activism to checking in on a vulnerable friend or neighbor. An act of doing gives some peace and rest to our troubled soul.
For some, taking care of our souls means finding some music and playing it, playing it more than we might normally because the sound of music brings an equilibrium back to our hearts and minds and bodies.
For some, taking care of our souls means getting together with friends and talking about the events and how they have made us feel and what we think we might need to do next. The conversation with trusted friends allows us to process out loud what we could not silently.
And just the opposite: for some, taking care of our souls means finding times and spaces for silence. Silence away from the noise of news media, other people, traffic, sudden movements. In that space of silence, our souls begin to recover and recognize themselves again.
Taking care of our souls for many of us might mean engaging our bodies in things that we love to do: baking, gardening, painting, writing, exercising, dancing, yoga, getting or giving a massage, cleaning, organizing stuff, going for a walk.
There are other ways. You know what many of them are because they are the things that work for you, and I haven’t thought of them, yet. In the midst of all that is going on with this local and latest tragedy, please, to us all: take care of your soul in the ways that work for you. Do that first, like they say on an airplane. We can help each other best when we have taken care of ourselves first. Sadly, we know that this won’t be the last school or public shooting like this, and this is happening in a year fraught with political turmoil. We have much to work through.
Take care of your soul, friends.
~Bob Patrick
I needed this today. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. You have hit the nail on the head. Please take care.
Perhaps there is a hidden message in the “caring for your soul” moments in life..as if you are taking a break away from all the Hyperbole and Cacophony of the day. For those that need the H & C , it suggests that the “soul time” is formed by Heat and tension, not a reasonable way to solve differences. Flip the coin and find those that take sanctuary in their own space, inspired by a respect for humanity, as a way to find hope. These moments have a way of cooling down the fire in your belly. The issue at hand becomes more clear and a pathway might reveal itself in the light you could not see yesterday….