This past week I attended Leading and Loving It. What a great week in Las Vegas with women in ministry from around the world. There were so many new and old friends there that were super fun to see and hang out with.
Two of the break out sessions I went to talked about soul care. So good! {In Happy ANYWAY I talk a lot about how until we find joy and enjoy that joy spiritually, mentally, and physically we won't be able to truly be happy anyway no matter what. So this was right up my alley.}
I was all ears as Mike Foster, author of People of the Second Chance, talked about how we need soul care daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. This reminded me of something similar Kevin and I have attempted to do for years called the 777 plan....every 7 days take a day off, every 7 weeks take a weekend off as a couple - away if possible, and every 7 months a family vacay. This we have used as a guide to be sure to rest enough. Haven't hit it perfectly but it's been our aim.
I love the personal soul care advise though also. Mike asked us to write down what fills our tank for daily soul care? Like for me it is sitting in our living room looking out our huge window that spans the whole room sipping coffee and reading in the mornings before the hustle and bustle begins. It's calming to me.
My little slice of heaven for the day
Then he encouraged us to write down what soul care we plan to put into place weekly, monthly, and annually that recharges us. I wrote down mine then and there. And low and behold I got right to it. On my way home I flew into Destin. What I had written down was to get away to a beach and paddle board, write and read for my annual recharging. As it ends up, it was perfect timing for me to take a couple days and do just that. I got a room for a couple nights in Destin, FL rented a paddle board for a day and paddled across to a small island 🌴 where I read and wrote and paddled til sunset. After the sun set I paddled back accross the harbor and went to my room where I wrote some more after watching a couple of Everbody Loves Raymond episodes. The day was almost unreal. Dolphins frolicked right out from where I was paddle boarding then they put on a show during sunset. It was Dream really and it happened because I made it happen even though there were circumstances that could have prevented it from becoming a reality. I'm so glad I took the plunge and went for it this weekend. The muscles in my neck are more loose than I remember them being in years. My stomach isn't in knots like it can be weeks on end with an endless to do list. I seriously think I am breathing more deeply and certainly more slowly. Thanks to friends who strongly encouraged me to do this. Thankfully my wonderful husband was totally on board too.
The umbrella was my writing station for the day🏖
I only make this blog all about my soul care weekend in hopes to inspire you to write your soul care strategy down too and be about it. As a woman thinks in her heart so is she. Sometimes we need to take a minute, step away to get our thinking straight so we can get our life straight. If you can't take a weekend, maybe you can take an evening or a day. I plan on doing that again soon just at home or I may drive to the beach for a day during school hours. I'm blessed to live close to the water. But honestly until now I rarely have taken advantage of it. That is changing!!! I love the water and I'm about to be on it a whole lot more.
I plan to love me more...realizing we only love others to the degree that we love ourselves. To take care of my soul. To do things I enjoy. To sharpen the saw. To be whole - spirit soul and body! To then give out of an overflow of a more whole person.
I hope you choose to do the same! I hope you will write down your soul care strategy to be carried out daily weekly monthly and annually. Be specific so you will actually do it. Write a comment and let us know when you do it or email me at hello@happyanyway.org and let me know how your soul care strategy is going.
Happy Monday ya'll !