Soul Food

I've learned many life lessons from animals. I care for a retired camp nature program critter, an adorable lop-eared rabbit who, I'm convinced, has some horse genes in her. It's the only thing that could explain how she polishes off the amount of food she eats.

When I greet her in the morning, after she does a happy lap around her cage indicating her excitement to see me but more importantly, that I am the bearer of breakfast, she settles down next to her food dish for her meal. And here is where the lesson is served up every day - no matter how hungry she is and no matter how excited she gets about what's on the menu, she will not eat until I stroke her copious coat of fur and show her that she is loved. In my haste on some mornings I've dropped her food in her cage before making a beeline for the door on my way to the daily race, only to look back and see her looking up at me with those bunny rabbit eyes that say, "Is this it? Dill and romaine and broccoli stalks? WHERE is my hello hug?!"

Love is nourishment.

If we think about why we do what we do in this world and trace our motivation back to the absolute essentials for living, food tops the list. Yet so many are without it. And so many are without the love that provides it.

This morning while exercising I watched a science program that explained the ways in which we are dependent on the natural systems in our universe to sustain life on this planet. Most of us walk around unaware of how often the sun hiccups on a regular daily basis and how this affects the electromagnetic fields that run our lives, more than ever before. If the sun were to hurtle a hefty one at us, as it has the potential to do, we would be forced to surrender our way of life on this planet as we know it.

Let's remember that we are, after all is said and done...and texted...and Snapchatted...and Tweeted, human beings who are naturally wired for human interaction with each other and with the natural world that is our ultimate source of sustenance.

Let's remember what we need in order to live.

Let's remember what we need in order to feel truly alive.

Let's remember that so many are hungry - for food, and to be cared for. Feeding bodies and souls will provide the nourishment we need to heal our selves, our human village, and our world.