New Project!

Hi friends :)  So sitting around last night w/ Mary P., I decided I was bored of being bored. I'm pretty sure I'm not meant to sit around all night playing Angry Birds while watching Jeopardy.  So what could we do with our time? This all started from one of Jenni's spirituality nights, in which an author went around asking people what a loving person looked like. We've developed this project, and I'd like your input. We're posting this on various outlets, and would love a variety of responses, regardless of their view, type, length, etc. Here's the generic posting, please repost as desired:

What is your soul?

We live in an era during which it is entirely possible to skate through life without contemplating who we are at our core. Having the world at our fingertips and the culture of instant gratification leave little room for reflection on the deeper meaning of our words, actions, and even our soul. Instead of being drawn to the center, we force our focus on those things that can be taken piecemeal and easily forgotten. With so many political factions, religions, and personalities, we tend to focus on our differences rather than our similarities. Stripped down to simply a soul, are we still as different as we think? Can we instead look into what connects us? And might that thing be our soul? Maybe, or maybe not. That's what we are here to find out.

After giving this question some thought, we'd like to hear your response to the question, "What is my soul?" Your response can be in any form you desire, whether it be a picture, word, phrase, poem, story, or anything else that captures your vision. Due to the abstractness of a soul, we are aware that there is no single definition, and that's kind of the beauty of this project. Your soul is entirely yours, and in sharing it, you have the capacity to draw others close to their own souls. We are not coming at this from any religious angle and we do not desire to press any of our own opinions. We simply want to hear the voices of individuals who have struggled to discover the deepest parts of themselves.

Our vision of this project is to receive responses from individuals across the country and across the world. If you have found any inspiration from contemplating your soul, please pass this along to friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers who might be similarly impacted.

Keep in mind that we are not looking for a particular response or type of response, and anything that you feel expresses your definition of your soul is a beautiful thing. Please take your time in responding. We are not looking for quantity of responses, merely the result of your contemplation. Any and all responses are embraced, regardless of differing viewpoints.

Although we are not yet sure the manner in which your responses will be presented, it is important that you know that what you send in might be viewed by many people.

Responses should be sent to whatisyoursoul@gmail.com

Thanks for taking the time out to read about our project, and have a great day.

The Return!

Hello friends! After a very, very, very long break of sharing my experiences, I'm back! I'm so sorry for the hiatus; I know some of you ::cough cough:: Alex Miller ::cough cough:: will be happy to see something here other than the Election Day post!  Because it's been, what, 4 months since I last posted, there is no way I can provide an accurate update of my experiences. Just know that I have loved my experiences with my job, my community, and my time in Mobile :)

So what sparked me to return to the world of blogging?! Well, I have some something that I need to share with you all... dramatic pause....dramatic pause...I'm not pregnant or engaged....dramatic pause....Ready?! I have wonderful, wonderful friends. Big news, I know.

Really, though, I recently went back to visit Chicago, and was hit hard with this fact.  First, I'd like to apologize to all of you; I have done a pretty awful job at keeping in touch.  I think I was rationalizing with myself that I was "being present" to my community here in Mobile, but the truth is I was just being inconsiderately lazy. I was nervous coming back with the fact that I hadn't kept in touch, but I felt so loved and welcomed back :) All weekend, I kept thinking "this is how life is supposed to be;" loving & being loved well.  It seems like a simple realization, but it's stuck with me since I've been back.  With all the conflicts, confusion, & stress of the world & spirituality, this realization is my answer. When everything else is complicated, this is simple.  If nothing else, I know that I am loved, and at most I will try my best to love my community here, my community in Chicago, and my clients. 

So thank you, thank you Chicago for making me feel loved.