Nourished and Flourishing

Have you ever communed with someone over a table replete with choice nutritional options and yet found yourself so completely sated by the encounter itself that you could not care less what the menu offered?  Laughter, conversation, and easy connection enchanted me recently; and much to my surprise, the very air around me seemed to seep into any empty places and satisfy every sense of longing for nourishment.  Like the best tiramisu, the finest chocolate, even the spiciest pumpkin pie, the pleasure of presence made me crave only more of the experience.

Image source:  personalitytutor.com

Nourishment can take many forms, as many culinary and cultural and comforting elements exist in countless configurations and combinations, we humans have holistic, multifaceted hunger and fullness mechanisms.  We are not bodies with a spirit, mind, and soul, but rather beings whose spirits, minds, and souls inhabit earthly vessels.  As such, intellectual stimulation, sharing sacred space, partaking in beauty and wonder, and yes, edible nutrition all have their place in the scope of sating appetites.

I like a lovely dinner with its nuanced textures, tastes, colors, and aromas as much as any other human.  I know it's counterculture to sit at a dinner table and abstain from delicacies at arm's reach.  From a survival standpoint, it may even be seen as counterintuitive.  Nonetheless, I have learned the art of savoring life's deeper nurturing - feeding the force that is me as a whole.  In this life, many do without the basic essential components of human thriving, yet I have come to a place in my life that is amply supplied beyond my imaginings.  It is with humble awe at my favor and fortune that I approach each day. 

It has been said that hunger is the best seasoning.  Gratitude, peace, abiding joy, perhaps, create the best garnish.  Whatever the recipe included at that table, I am filled and content.

Jotting with Johnna:

• What deeply nourishes you?
• Do you have a favorite ambient setting which brings you meaningful and lasting satiety?
• With whom might you share a meal and spare the meal simultaneously?
• Have you noticed fullness in ways non-visceral?
• How might you experiment with alternate means of nourishing yourself and others today?

Remember:  you are so very worthy of the preparation, presentation, and presence of that which makes you flourish!

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.    

Wired for Sound

I recently moved into a home with a wired (and impressive) sound system in place.  Honestly, it's been ten months...  Only yesterday did I have someone come to assess what I would need to actually utilize the ten speakers dispersed through the home, including two on the covered patio outside.  Obviously, I've lived without the luxury of those speakers for over four decades, and it's no needful thing; but the nagging feeling I'd get when I glanced at my ceiling made me feel foolish.

The two electronics professionals searched high and low for the speaker-wire, finally locating all of it.  Different areas of the home have different wiring even though it's the same system.  It made me think of the way we work as humans in much the same way.  God put an amazing system - state of the art - in humanity.  We're the pinnacle of His creation, and as such, we are capable of far more than most of us do with the decades we inhabit the earth.  In truth, many of us never actually power up to our potential.

When I really look at my life and the great abilities with which I've been endowed, it's like the sidelong glances at my dormant speaker system.  I realize with contrition that I have been wired for sound, yet my speaker-wires are long hidden due to feelings of various kinds, wanting to hide by playing small when there's no way to truly mask the truth. 

Luke 8:16 (MSG)

“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”

Jotting with Johnna:

• You were born with purpose and potential, wired for sound; have you figured out how to  let your light shine?
• What holds you back from living your most vibrant life mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, or fiscally?
• How will you address your wiring issues today so that you can be seen, heard, and celebrated for the unique ways you show God to the world?

Remember:  you and your message are so worthy of the discomfort, discipline, and devotion it will take to develop your talents and share them with the world.

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.