“It doesn’t feed my soul,” I remember thinking. I was in my fifties at the time, and I was referring to my job. I was quite surprised. It didn’t even sound like something I would say, but I knew what it meant. There was a void, an emptiness that needed filling. At that same time, I would often find myself saying, “When I retire I’m going to…” and I’d finish the sentence with something I’d always wanted to do, like work with animals or something creative with art or writing. I was feeling the need to dig deeper into who I was and to reconnect with the person I once had been. I felt like I’d Iost pieces of myself somewhere along life’s path, and the need to be revitalized was now hitting a crucial tipping point.
Retirement, however, was years away. Could I wait? Should I wait? The answer was, “No.” The truth is we shouldn’t wait. Life is happening now, whatever your age. I knew that earlier in my life I had been doing what I needed and wanted to. Raising my children and teaching others’ children did feed my soul for many years, until that time when I needed more. My children were grown, and I needed to broaden my horizons.
I began by setting aside the mindset that my life was already too full and too busy. I instead began asking myself how I might restructure my time and add some activities into my life that could move me in the direction I wanted to go. With a little research, I found a service dog organization that offered social therapy classes. These classes trained people and their pet dogs to visit hospitals, nursing homes or become reading dog teams and visit schools and libraries. You could adjust your volunteer hours to fit into your own schedule. Perfect! I took the training with my standard poodle, Tucker, and he began coming to my classroom once a week to listen to students read. (Yes, somehow reading to a dog is much more fun than reading to yourself or another human.)
At this same time, I cleaned up my spare bedroom/office and reorganized it into a craft room/office. I was then ready to do some creating. I bought stamps for stamping and began taking jewelry-making classes at the local bead store. My soul was feeling better!
I urge you not to wait. Life is happening right now. Take a close look at your life and what fills your days. What are you doing to feed your soul? I propose creating two lists. The first list should include all you do in your life right now that enriches your spirit. Don’t leave anything out, even the smallest detail. You may be surprised to find that there is more on that list than you thought. Acknowledge and celebrate these joy-filled activities.
On the second list record all the activities that you want to include in your life in the future. You might also include things from your first list that need to be expanded, activities you may want to do more often. All too frequently the things we once loved to do get tossed aside as we become lost in our own busyness.
Now examine your lists. Are they fairly balanced or is your “what I’m doing right now” list a bit short and your “in the future” list exceedingly long? How might you rebalance your life to include more of what you love. No time you say? Try shifting your perspective and your words. Instead of saying, “I’m too busy. I have no extra time,” ask yourself, “How might I reorganize my time?” Analyze how you utilize your time now. Are there things that could be rearranged or reprioritized? When we closely examine our use of time, we often find we can eliminate time-wasting activities and replace them with more fulfilling interests.
I feel truly blessed that I listened to those inner voices many years ago which urged me not to put my life on hold. Over the years, I have continued to discover activities that nourish my soul, and now that retirement is no longer years away but is, in fact, just days away, I am ready to soar!
Life is a journey. Don’t wait to live it. Sculpt your life into one that is fulfilling and joyous.