Soul Detox 1

a moment of solitude…

It was my second climb up Crowders Mountain for the year. But it was a solo trip this time. The day had no sun making a showing and lots of grey clouds, but they in no way reflected my mood. Just some me time, God time…..actually ‘time’ wasn’t even a factor 🙂 I have come to realize that waiting for someone to do the things that I like to do might keep me waiting forever, or worse yet, give me an excuse not to do it at all….so I packed my backpack, camera and tripod in tow, and headed out.

Craig Groeschel’s ‘Soul Detox’ is at the top of my reading queue and this was one of the reasons I made this trip. A soul detox captivated my mind 😉 Detox by definition is a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances. Many of us detox our bodies, or if we don’t, we need to. It’s almost like a good ‘spring cleaning’. Giving our bodies a chance to reset and reboot.

my perch for the day…

A soul detox is a chance to get rid of soul pollutants. Negative emotions, negative thoughts, negative language, negative people and negative perspectives. Thoughts and feelings that go unchecked which cause anger, bitterness and resentment. Television shows that add nothing to your personal growth. People that drain you…who always have something negative going on. Busyness; never a moment to be still and reflect; to check in with your self and evaluate. To see if you’ve lost yourself in this thing called life.

 A few weeks ago I was speaking to someone who was about to retire after 30 years. I asked her what was she going to do and she said “Find myself. I have lost myself over the years”. I didn’t want that. I wanted to learn to have all of me present in the moment.

view from 1700ft….

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your zeal, or as my partner at work puts it, being in a ‘rut’? Our soul is the essence of who we are. It is what makes us sing, dance, laugh, smile, love, glow, give, care, share, press on, keep hope alive, dream, our eyes sparkle…..

It doesn’t require a lot. Just taking a day or two to see how being around certain people make you feel, how listening to certain music makes you feel, how engaging in certain conversations make you feel. Do you feel positive and inspired, do you feel motivated, do you feel energized, do you feel closer to God? If not, Unplug.

Rest, walk, run, pray, swim, read, journal, cry, wonder, turn the TV off, turn off electronics, enjoy nature, take a vacation or a ‘stay’cation, make a gratitude list, date yourself, no more secrets, find accountability, surround yourself with positivity, embrace change and just be…..

 Blessings always.

JC

just be….

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~Delayed Gratification~

Crowders Mountain…

This past Saturday some of the women from my church and I took a trip and climbed Crowders Mountain. This was my first time climbing any kind of mountain recreationally, so I was excited. Killer smoothie for breakfast, ice-cold water, camera slung, and chilled sliced plums awaiting my descent; I was ready.

all smiles and ready to go…

I already knew I was going to blog about this, even had a name ready; “View from the Top”.

Well on the way up, we missed the turn for our intended route and ended up taking a much longer and harder route to the top of the mountain (a whole other life lesson here, but I shall not digress). It started out fine, but then there were hills after hills and no designated resting place. My breathing was labored and legs felt taxed. But ALL of that evaporated the instant I made it to the top and saw the view.

For some reason, of the whole trip, that instant feeling was heightened and highlighted. I was just amazed to myself that I couldn’t even drum up in my mind how tired my legs felt just moments earlier. I thought of that feeling the whole way down and on the ride home; just couldn’t shake it. The next morning, as I mulled it over, God said He didn’t want me to talk about the view from the top, but about Delayed Gratification. So here goes…