care of the soul

So my summer is quickly (and regretfully) coming to a close.... I woke up nice and early this morning and began my "To Do" list, hoping to get as much done as possible today. I did really well this morning, running errands, going to the bank etc, and so decided to reward myself with a reading break. I picked up our new book club book, Care of The Soul, which I have been wanting to read for months now. A few pages in, I glanced over at my list and decided to write in capital letters, "CARE OF MY SOUL" with a wonderful empty box next to it just waiting to be checked. So, needless to say I am spending this afternoon, hard at work doing just that. I may or may not get it checked off by today :)

caring for my soul thus far consists of:
1. making myself a pot of my favorite loose leaf tea
2. listening to my "Bon Iver radio" station on pandora.com
3. picking a few of my favorite reads from off the bookshelf and re-reading passages I marked. Some particular favorites; The Prophet, any and all of Annie Dillard's books, The Witch of Portobello, The Fourfold Path to Healing, The Dogs of Babel, Aesop's Fables, Chinese Philosophy.
4. browsing Etsy.com for fun finds
5. blogging

here's one of my absolute favorite artists on Etsy, Obsoleteworld:


Or how about these poetry dolls from The7thMagpie

Or these adorable tops from zelaya:


And this moonstone ring from Thepebblecollection:



And lastly, an excerpt I came across that I really like:

The Invitation by: Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.