Soul Calendar

What makes your soul vibrate and your living being float above the muck of onerous chores, unkind people, politics, failed expectations, violence and fear?  I have slogged through so much, struggling to find an answer to things that my brain can solve from a distance but my limited reach does not touch.  If I could offer something of value, it would be a collection of ideas.  The trouble with ideas is that they float around and sometimes never manifest into a better reality.  Yet this morning, something hit me.  Something I can actually do for myself that will make an impact on my daily life.  I plan to keep a soul calendar.

The soul calendar is the place to write down the way you want to feel and the light you plan to extend into the world.  Jill Bolte Taylor writes in My Stroke of Insight that we are all responsible for the energy we give to one another.  While I will still keep my regular calendar of events and to-do lists, after logging in the dental appointments and the upcoming WHO concert (Pete and Roger are coming to Greensboro and Richard bought our tickets!  I'm over the moon happy and excited!), I will open up a new calendar and write the first soul-good entry:  sink down into happy peace.


There are experiences I forgot to write on my regular calendar.  I had over looked writing down the way I want to live.

I left out these:

Take time to notice the beauty of your loved one's face.

Sit outside for several minutes in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night.  Feel the earth, the sunlight, the darkness, the air.

Lift up one problem and send it flying into outer space.

Exercise in the afternoon.  It will give you energy and motivation to prepare the evening meal with enough energy left over to tackle the dishes.

Find something in your memory that evokes a feeling of comfort and love.  Yesterday I remembered the scene of a snowy dark New Year's eve when our neighbor played a harmonica while we sat together eating ham roll ups.  There were no electronics, just people in candle-light, warmed from the inside by the comforting love of family, friendship, homemade food and music.

Eat light.  Fresh vegetables are in season.  Tasting the first green bean from my garden this week brought my father's memory back to life.

Focus on one small thing to be happy about; the progress of a new habit, a return to the enjoyment of something left behind.  Think of all the times you were forgiven.  Remember that it's never to late to do something big and always nearly effortless to do something small but meaningful.