Awakenings

I've been working on this blog idea for about four days now...in my head...and...hopefully this time around I can get it past my head onto my blog....so here goes...During the course of our lives we fluctuate between feeling stuck in a rut and feeling invigorated by the sights of sounds of nature, a movie, music, a stimulating conversation, or the whispers of a lover enticing our carnal nature. These invigoration's are what some refer to as "awakenings" of the soul. This past week I have experienced such awakenings in a way I have not felt in a long, long time and for the past four days I have pondered what is going on and why. For the past seven or eight years I have repressed many of my thoughts/ideas about religion, politics, and culture on the home front and my neck of the woods, and have limited my comments and ponderings to cyberspace. No one told me I had to go this route but it became increasingly difficult and frustrating to carry on conversations of such nature with people who weren't interested, didn't know what the hell I was talking about, or let's just say they didn't share my passion or point of view on such matters...so...I took my ponderings, questions, and passionate concerns to the world of cyberspace where bloggers and discussion groups abound with many people who share similar interests, passions, and reference points.

Over the past couple of weeks I have engaged in a number of conversations with four different people that have been extremely satisfying in ways I have not felt for a long, long, time. Sunday I talked to the pastor about her upcoming series on Brian Mclaren's new book and later I went out to lunch with some people at my son's church and we talked about film and it's potential relevancy in the field of education...and...the previous week I met a lady at church and we briefly talked about her own self imposed exile from the conservative religious sub-culture and I found out we used to attend to same church and I hope to hear more about her faith journey in the weeks to come.

Thomas Moore says that good conversation is sex to the soul. I had never thought it that way but I think Moore is onto to something because when I have an interesting conversation where I am engaged with another person I feel an exhilaration as I feel the blood rushing through my body from my head to my heart. I don't want to extend this analogy too far, but I think you get my point. I have also learned something about myself, my soul, as well. My soul needs and greatly values intimacy that involves face to face, engaging conversations with people where I feel safe to share what I think and feel about those things I am passionate about.

Sometimes we can go so long without food for our soul that we forget what good food tastes like. Now that I have gotten a little taste of some more substantial food for my soul I hope to indulge myself while the refriderator door is open and hopefully the next time around the door won't stayed closed as long....