How to Feed a Hungry Soul

Ever heard of the term “Hambre del Alma“?
Clarissa Pinkola Estes uses this phrase often in my most beloved book, “The Women Who Run with the Wolves”. It translates into “the starved soul“.

Maybe I am wrong, but we’ve all felt that hunger.
The one that cannot be satisfied with food. The one that craves nourishment so rich, so hearty, so fresh it won’t settle for any lesser substitute.

In my last post, I talked of how hungry I have been lately & my shameful attempts to satiate that hunger with large amounts of food. The more I put in & the emptier I felt, I knew I had to find another source of nourishment before I starved to death.

These are the six main types of sustenance I determined help fill the hungry void within & how I am currently feeding myself:

1. CREATE

Make one thing every day.
Paint, write, draw, doodle, build, take photos, cook a meal, bake some bread, sing, rearrange furniture, plant a garden, etc. etc. etc.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the ugliest, weirdest, most imperfect creation – just make it for the sake of making.

2. MOVE

Walk. Dance. Yoga. Jump. Bike. Swing. Lift weights. Climb mountains. Run wild. Wander aimlessly. Explore a new place. Shake it off. MOVE YOUR BODY.

3. PLAY

Laugh as much as you can! Go to the playground & actually play. Build a pillow fort. Make jokes. Make silly faces. Make love. Make fun of yourself. Play dress-up. Play games (just not love games). Play sports. Do things you loved to do when you were a kid.

4. DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS

First & foremost, an intimate & healthy relationship with yourself.

Do not avoid getting to know someone because you are waiting to be more perfect, thinking that will be the only way they will like you. Show up as yourself & be open to whatever gifts each person might bring into your life. Have abundant relationships of all types, all lengths, all sizes, all depths, all facets. Each person brings something different out in us… WANT to be brought out in as many ways as possible. Don’t be afraid to love people. Spend time with people who you want to be like. Give of yourself to others. Remember you are not alone.

5. BE IN NATURE

It doesn’t have to be a month-long trek in the wildest wilderness of Wyoming!
Spend an hour in a city park, a garden, a rooftop, a backyard. It can be a beach, a prairie, a river, a mountain, a forest. Just make sure you spend time outside every day. Breathe fresh air, soak in sunshine, drink raindrops, eat snow, stargaze, walk, sit, listen, admire. JUST BE a part of the natural world & realize that you ARE.

6. DREAM

Daydream about things that make you feel good. Write down your night dreams before you forget. Make solid goals & work towards them one step at a time. Plan trips you might never take. Imagine the qualities of your ideal partner/lover/friend/self.
The more different/obscure/odd/wild your dreams & goals are, the better!

…..

How’s that for soul food?
Just pick one to start with & begin to incorporate more & more of these feel-good activities into your daily routine.

And just in case you’re still hungry…
here’s a recipe for this bomb brunch bowl I made today!

Serves: 1 hungry human (if you’re not a loner like me, simply double or triple amounts to feed your loved ones too!)

Ingredients:

1 small green tomato, sliced & salted
2 medium potatoes of choice, cut in 1/4″ cubes
1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
5 mushrooms, sliced
Handful of mixed lettuce
Kale chips
1 farm phresh egg
Avocado Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
S&P
Any dried or fresh herbs you like (I used rosemary & parsley)
Soy sauce/tamari sauce/coconut amino sauce/vinegar/whatever you have
Apple Cider Vinegar

To Make:

Heat enough avocado oil in a medium cast iron skillet to cover entire bottom.
Add potatoes & salt. Cook uncovered until slightly browned & crispy
Add dried herbs & garlic & cook covered until potatoes are cooked all the way through.

Meanwhile, heat a small cast iron with a little avocado oil, add mushrooms & S&P.
Cook for a few minutes until oil is absorbed & then add two or three glugs of soy sauce/sauce of choice. Cook until all is reduced & then add another glug or two of sauce & again cook until that is reduced.

Fry the egg to your desired temp. (I like mine with whites completely cooked & super runny yolk gravy!)

Mix lettuce in your bowl with EVOO & a splash of apple cider vinegar, scoot to one half.
Add in potatoes to the other side. Sprinkle kale chips on top. Place mushrooms to one side. Add tomatoes & fried egg & a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to top it all off.

To Eat:

Sit down. Plant your feet. Take a breath. Say thank you.
Slowly eat a bite of each part on its own & then mix it all together & enjoy!