Welcome.
My name is Maggie Stevens and this essay is entitled,
Life as Nourishment.
Recently,
After a yoga session,
The teacher Anna was discussing breath and energy.
She said,
Our life nourishes us.
I had not thought of that before.
Life is nourishment.
I spent the next several days pondering this idea.
If we saw each of our experiences as food feeding our body,
Mind,
And soul,
How would that change our intake?
I am well aware that eating a box of sugar donuts will give me nothing but empty calories,
A sugar rush,
And possibly dental issues.
Yet,
Why can't I see that too much social media can have a similarly negative effect?
While Facebook won't cause my teeth to rot,
I'm not sure I can say the same for my brain.
Does my mind need all that vacuous content?
Social media isn't the only questionable thing I ingest.
Partisan media,
Binge-watching streaming services,
Can provide hours of avoidance.
Just as one cookie isn't bad for one's health,
Neither is a mindful intake of media.
It's only when we thoughtlessly binge that we deny ourselves nourishment.
Media isn't the only junk food for our hearts and minds.
Toxic relationships can also act like poison.
When we can't be accepted as our authentic selves,
It's as if nutrients are being leached from our spirits,
Leaving us weakened,
A shadow self.
This poison is just as likely to come from our own thoughts as others' lips.
Self-criticism and regret are a meager diet that we certainly wouldn't feed a guest.
Why subsist on a starvation diet when we are surrounded by so much bounty?
The word nourishment comes from the Latin meaning to feed or cherish.
Have you ever put those two words together?
Feed and cherish?
It reminds me of my Italian grandmother making homemade pasta dishes and then beaming when her family gathered and ate.
Through food,
She was showing her love,
Reminding us that we were cherished.
Maybe you too had someone who fed and cherished you.
The question is how do we feed and cherish our lives?
Will the quality of our experience nourish us or leave us empty and unsatisfied?
Many people have work that is satisfying and serves the greater good.
Yet even when our work is mundane,
We can perform it to the best of our ability to find satisfaction.
Time in nature can be deeply nurturing.
The Japanese have a turn,
Shinrin-yoku meaning forest bathing.
They understand that walking in a forest can ease our spirits the way a hot bath can ease our body.
Just as in eating,
It isn't always the sweet and savory foods that nourish us.
Sometimes it's the bitter ones.
Each of us have experienced loss,
Heartbreak,
And disappointment.
These are part of the human condition.
Yet we can digest those painful experiences to make us stronger,
Kinder,
And wiser.
We can choose a nutritious diet,
And we can choose nutritious and nurturing experiences.
The author S.
Kelly Harrell wrote,
We don't heal in isolation,
But in community.
We can encourage and support one another.
Other people are,
As the writer Peter Matheson said,
Just living alone,
Just as we are.
Laughter can be as refreshing as a cool drink of water.
A hug can be comfort food.
Perhaps in the past,
Our choices were not the healthiest,
Yet if we have learned from them,
We have eked out some nourishment.
Today,
Each day,
We have choices.
We can ask ourselves,
Does this experience nourish me?
Am I cherishing my body,
Mind,
And spirit?
Every day are new choices.
Each day opens opportunity to begin again.
Today,
Do something to cherish yourself.
You are worth it.
I appreciate that you took the time to listen.
If you like,
You can follow me on Insight Timer,
And you'll be notified when I post additional talks and meditations.
You can also check out my blog at www.
Metamettamindfulness.
Com.
Thanks again for listening.
