Nourishment Comes in Many Forms

Been thinking a lot about ways I nourish myself - the obvious one being food which I need to sustain me - but less obvious are the ways I find nourishment in things that are less conventional. Let me talk about food first. Food has always been an issue in my life, whether it was about the quantity of food I ate, the effect my food consumption had on my weight, or the quality of my food. I came of age in the 60's - the era of Twiggy - and the norm at that time was skinny skinny skinny. I've never been skinny. I have a picture taken when I was in Great Britain in 1971 when I was 20. At that time I had very poor body image, and believed I was extremely fat. Now when I look at that picture I see a normal sized young woman who was so effected by the media and family that she could not see herself clearly. 20 is the age that I got involved in the women's movement, and began working on my sense of self, with great success I think. Not an easy process but I came to believe that my worth in this world was not based on how I looked, but rather on who I was as a person, and how I openly and honestly I interacted with others.

Other ways of self-nourishment that have been important to me seem more difficult to articulate. Spending money has definitely been a problem at times. I have much desire to own things I don't necessarily need. Who has 4 iPods? Okay they may all be different sizes and have different uses, but it's still 4 iPods. And then there is the bead collection - I never seem to have enough - and can always use more. Even at times when I am not feeling creative or productive, I'm still buying beads. When I was younger my mother had a thing about Keds sneakers and I had 15 pairs in different colors and patterns. I must have been about 8 or 9 years old. Maybe that was the beginning? Wouldn't it be great to have someone to blame. Too bad I'm too smart for that.

Healthier forms of nourishment come from being close to people and allowing myself to open up and connect, thereby feeling nourished by them. Not as easy as it sounds. There are times when I feel I have this one down, and then I tank and feel closed off.

Nature is a great form of nourishment for me - I can look at the changing environment as Spring struggles to come, feeling much joy and excitement, especially seeing deer and hawks in my neighborhood. Opens me right up. I am so looking forward to Spring I can taste it - this winter has been harsh and a struggle.

This brings me to my current venture. I've been studying Reiki and have completed Reiki Level 1. I am loving this, finding joy and contentment in the process of energy work. And it opens me up, nourishes my soul and grounds me. I have become a believer and hope to use Reiki on myself and others. The few treatments I have done seem to be successful, in that my "guinea pigs" report feeling relaxed and soothed after their treatments. Funny thing is that I felt the same way - how lovely to give and receive at the same time. Reiki seems to bring me back to my roots - and I am excited about new ventures Reiki opens up for me.