You’ve made it. Over the hump of 2011 and looking directly at the other side. Approximately six months left to go, 181 days to mark on the calendar.
Today concludes this four-part series, In The Middle.
Day 4: Soul
I wonder what Lewis and Clark thought as they hoofed it across North America, did they high-five each other to celebrate their arrival at the Continental Divide?
Okay, who knows if high-fives were invented yet. Maybe they just shot a possum or something at the half-way mark — all I’m saying is when Lewis & Clark made it to the half-way point of the Oregon Trail they had yet to experience Oregon.
For the most part, they still didn’t know what was out there.
I am by no means comparing The Promise 365 to a government sponsored road trip on horse back, just saying this: as much as I would like to congratulate myself for not buying anything so far and diving deep in the head, heart, body & soul, we’re only half-way there. It’s really just half-time.
As my basketball coach would say:
“The score is now 0-0. You still have to win the second half.”
Game on.
As matters of the soul go, I have to admit I get confused.
Just what is my soul anyway?
On some days I believe it’s where my heart beats with a deep feeling or emotion, on others it seems more in line with my head. There are days when I feel like an old soul on this earth and still others that make me weep like a baby.
Here’s the definition from our friends at Wikipedia:
soul
noun /sōl/
souls, plural
- The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
- A person’s moral or emotional nature or sense of identity
- The essence of something
- Emotional or intellectual energy or intensity
- A person regarded as the embodiment of a specified quality
- An individual person
- A person regarded with affection or pity
- African-American culture or ethnic pride
See what I mean?
“Soul” seems to be one of “those words” to me, like “love” or “friendship” or “shit” ~ the singular word just doesn’t describe the deep levels into which one can get herself.
Being 184 days in, I can report this: the closest I’ve come to soul food during this promise was my adventures in a 21 Day Meditation Challenge from the Chopra Center.
The meditations encouraged me to listen more (to my head, heart, body & soul) and talk less (tough gig sometimes). Most important they reminded me that my journey is not one to seek perfection (even tougher gig) but rather seek being, just being.
So, I’m taking my time with this soul thing.
Mostly because I imagine Clark asking Lewis many times along the Oregon Trail, “Are we there yet?” “Are we there yeeeet?” and “Are we there yeeeeeeeeeeet?” until of course they finally saw the power of the Pacific crash up against the rocks of that beautiful coastline and they knew exactly where “there” was.
The Promise 365 
WooHooies Jamie, you ran out and now you are headed home…to a new wonderful, more authetic home. Congrats on being halfway!
Ah, thank you Kim! Being halfway feels good, but it also feels like the middle of a marathon too ~ now where’s my GU energy gel?
Hope you have a very happy 4th!! Thank you for being here with me.
xo~Jamie