Soul Care Studio

A while back I really enjoyed a post on Jen Lee's blog about how when her friends come to visit her they say they're checking into the Soul Care Garage. You may remember that I took Jen's "Care and Keeping of Creative Souls" workshop at Squam a few weeks ago. During our day together she told an amazing story about a time when she was feeling like she didn't have much to show for her life professionally since college. Her friend (another wonderful woman, whose birthday is today, Jen Lemen) said to her, "You have been tending your soul the way most people cultivate their careers, and what you have to offer is gold."

Wow! Did that story speak to all of us. We all rushed to write that quotation down in our lovely little journals we'd been given for the class. And the idea of tending one's soul took root in my own. I believe Jon Bernie advised tending to the present moment in one of his recent podcasts, although darned if I can find it now. And that word "tend" is amazing. It makes my whole body listen. It turns judgement and striving right off for me. I start to dance with the moment.

How would my life be different if I started valuing tending my soul, tending to the moment? (Are these things different? I suspect not.) And so in my goofy little mind I've come up with a "place" for this, which is really of course just in my attitude. I call it the Soul Care Studio. And I make funny little infomercials for it in my head or while I'm driving, like "Here at the Soul Care Studio we look at the way the light hits the autumn leaves" or "Here at the Soul Care Studio we appreciate the value of delicious, healthy food." When I'm in a situation where I don't know what to choose, I've started asking myself what they'd do at the Soul Care Studio and it all becomes much clearer to me.

Would you like to know what the Soul Care Studio looks like? Here's an exterior shot:


(Photo by Donna Gors)

And an interior shot:


Do you think that looks a little like Squam Lake and Dia: Beacon? Well, you may be right:)