Soul Care

Soul care is a term as old as Plato and Socrates. Despite its longevity in our vernacular, the term has only recently popped up on my radar as worthy of further exploration. If you are a theologian or philosopher, my apologies as I am not going to wrestle with the nuances of the meaning of soul care. I am, however, going to share my application of the term, no deep thinking allowed.

I have declared this summer my Soul Care Summer. After a difficult school year filled with challenging students and a personal battle with chronic pain, I am in need of respite. Call me selfish or pagan, it matters not as I push forward with rest.

Here are a few ways I am underachieving this summer.

1) Meditate: My skeptical self usually classifies meditation as a voodoo, sprinkle dust business.That being said, I am currently following a program that encourages quieting the mind and relaxing with intent. I do not chant anything and I confess I think about the physics of air pressure as I breathe. I think I am safe from selling out to the nameste crowd but I am finding some of the techniques helpful.

2)  Set limits: I am still on my Facebook and Instagram cut back and I can honestly say I am refreshed with the renewal of experiencing life in real time. If I ask someone if they have been traveling lately, it is because I sincerely want to know and not because I saw a dozen or more dazzling posts on FB and I long to relive it again. I want to hear first hand the good and the challenging aspects of the lives of others. Not surprisingly, there is an expectation that I should know about life happenings because I have a FB account. Forgive me when I ask about your well being and I ask you to fill in a few blanks. That is what shared cups of coffee are all about.

3) Make Music: My piano has remained rather silent of late. Changes in life circumstances resulted in less demand for my volunteer services and less desire to rifle through my cache of music. A few weeks ago, I pulled out my stack of prelude/postlude music and started playing my way through memory lane. A quick call to the piano tuner improved my experience and needless to say, my soul is singing with the feel of black and white keys beneath my fingers once again. Beware, neighbors.

4) Give: This may seem antithetical to soul care but soul care is not only about taking in. It is also about the nurturing that happens when we exercise our giving muscles. The giving that takes care of us involves the opportunity to use our personal gifts for others. I like to cook and bake. Sharing a batch of cookies with someone gives me great joy and nourishes my spirit.

I am still cleaning my house (sort of), doing the laundry, showing up for appointments and schlepping in bags of groceries. That's life. But, life should also include a little kindness to the soul.

Cheers.

Power of Small

It goes without saying that grandness gets credit for being powerful. The mighty oak tree rises sixty feet above the diminutive 20-foot crab apple tree. The 80-foot long Blue Whale dwarfs the 18-inch Atlantic Herring. The stocky American Bison, weighing a solid ton, hoofs its way around the 2-pound prairie dog. The 7-foot wingspan of the Bald Eagle soars past the Chipping Sparrow with its dainty 8-inch wingspan.

Not surprisingly, nature does not always favor the most photogenic species. Enter one wee little insect, Agrilus planipennis, commonly known as Emerald Ash Borer. It is less than a third of an inch long, about the size of one grain of rice. It has been living a happy arthropod life in Asia for many years, coexisting peacefully with the native trees. And then a few adventurous Borers hitched a ride on a freight ship headed to the Great Lakes near Michigan about thirty years ago. Upon leaving the ship, the Borers discovered a tasty new food source, Green Ash trees. Yum, yum. Good for the Borers. Mega-bad for North American ash trees. One by one ash trees are losing their lives as the larvae of the Borer tunnel into the trees, cutting off the tree's food and water source when the xylem and phloem of the trees are severed. Not a pretty death.

The voracious and resilient nature of the Borer has resulted in a steady march of the bugs from east to west in North America. And here is where it gets personal. Our city just had its first Borer sighting and the battle cry has been sounded. If you have an ash tree on your property, you are responsible for removing the tree(s) or treating them. Kah-ching. Kah-ching. And, of course, we have two beautiful ash trees shading the front of our home. My readers may recall we also have a birch tree that, unbeknownst to us when we planted it, is in need of iron treatments every year. More kah-ching, kah-ching. We do not buy lottery tickets for a reason.

My husband and I are too old to think we can replace our ash trees and hope to enjoy the shade and bird harboring benefits our current trees provide. Therefore, we will become BFFs with our local arborist as we watch him inject anti-borer-juice into our ash trees and iron supplements into our birch tree. I am glad we have the option to save our trees. I am not glad about the hit to our bank account.

Meanwhile, our city is ready for war against the little beasts. Meetings are being held. Brochures are being distributed. Arborists are touting their services. Homeowners are making life and death decisions. There is no winning this fight. We can only hope to mitigate the damage and cross our fingers that the Borers move on after their ten-year cycle wraps up.

Clearly, the littlest of creatures can wield great influence. No large teeth or sharp talons required.