Diet For The Soul

Good Morning,
When we seek the perfect diet or workout regimen, what is it we are
really seeking? Does it go beyond appearances and the longing for
absolute physical health? There is nothing wrong about improving ones
health. We must remember, however, that immortality and perfection do
not represent the human experience. Once we recognize the motive
behind the attempt to control what we eat, we are suddenly awakened
to great compassion for the self. Rather than berating ourselves for
setting up dietary guidelines that we continually fail to uphold, we
can begin to see that we are trying to be as good as we can be. I

What we may neglect to see is that the drive to extend the years of
our lives negates the beauty of the present moment. Of course, no
diet comes with a guarantee that we will increase either the length
or the quality of our lives. Often such attempts at longevity and
attaining perfect health are based on fear. We fear the unknown and,
in an attempt to gain mastery over our lives, we impose rules and
restrictions to frame our existence.

What if, instead of seeking the perfect physical nutrients, we
embrace love as a primary form of nourishment? Then we can move
beyond fear as we recognize and accept that we are immortal souls
encased in earthly bodies. Each day, we can care for these bodies by
tapping into a richer, deeper source of well-being. Through our love,
children thrive in a nurturing environment, and through love our
bodies respond to tender care. We can begin by trusting that the
body's innate intelligence will restore us to a state of harmony and
balance.

We have attached moral values to the foods we eat before we even take
our first bite. When we shift our focus to the quality of the mental
and emotional energy that we are ingesting from moment to moment, the
physical body reaps tremendous benefits. Let's stop feeding ourselves
plates full of anguish.

When it comes to the endless sensory and sensual delights associated
with the food we eat, we tend to think we are supposed to deprive
ourselves. We feel virtuous when we restrict our pleasures to a
minimum. Somehow we have come to believe that if it tastes wonderful,
it must not be wholesome. Perhaps we ought to consider that we are
taking this dietary stuff a bit too seriously. Staying in touch with
what brings us joy is vital to the Spirit, and anything that
nourishes the Spirit nourishes us at all levels of being.

By paying attention to the body's innate wisdom, we learn what is
best for us in each moment. To receive the most complete nourishment
from the foods we eat, we would benefit from integrating a sense of
joy and appreciation into every bite. This counts far more than
calories and nutrients in bringing us closer to the experience of
total well-being.

Clearly love is the way to the perfection we seek. Love and
appreciate the wisdom of your body, and your body will guide you to
what it needs.

Peace and Love, Jim