I fall in love with new and different ideas, often one word will come to symbolize that whole process for me, and put the whole thing into perspective. Most of these are not ‘new’ exactly, just the way that I am looking at them is new. Nourish is on my list of words and concepts I love right now, part of nourishing is sharing, and I chose you to share with!
From the dictionary:
[ ˈnəriSH, ˈnə-riSH ]
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provide with the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition:“I was doing everything I could to nourish and protect the baby”
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keep (a feeling or belief) in one’s mind, typically for a long time:“he has long nourished an ambition to bring the show to Broadway”
When you think about the word nourish what comes to mind? For many of us it’s synonymous with feeding I think, wouldn’t you rather nourish your family, than feed them? Nourish is richer, it has substance, it brings to mind images of homemade soups and stews, fresh garden vegetables, ripe fruit, it’s beautiful.
Take it another step and add other things necessary for growth, to foster a love of reading is nourishment, as is doing a science experiment with a child, or planting a garden, volunteering to help provide food or shelter for those less fortunate, going to church, visiting a museum, entering a library, listening to a concert, painting a picture, playing a board game, playing basketball, a hug, going for a family hike or bike ride… these are all ways we can nourish ourselves and the people around us.
Nourish. It’s big. It has depth. You nourish yourself, your family, and those around you quite often without thinking about it. By putting away your phone or your laptop so you can really listen to what someone has to say you are nourishing their self-esteem, which can foster respect. Taking a nature walk or biking with your family can nourish a true love of exercise and the outdoors. Planting a garden can nourish you, literally from the food that it produces, the earth from the planting and fertilization process, the air from added plants, yourself with a sense of accomplishment, and your senses with wonderful colors and smells.
Now back up, back to food, I do love my food, and now that my family is grown and gone I look forward to the occasions I can nourish them with home cooking. Anyone can feed someone a pizza or burger, and sometimes that is nourishment too, of a different kind, more on that later. To soak and cook beans, cook rice, chop vegetables and herbs, purchase healthy delicious food, plan for all the dishes to be done at the same time, mix a cake from scratch and by hand, and then present all this lovely homemade food to your family and friends to enjoy, good for the body and the soul.
Okay back to pizza and burgers, or veggie burgers if you prefer, (I love them!) occasional instant food can still be nourishing, especially when it’s an occasional treat, and after an event or during game night to save time, it tickles our pleasure centers to have an occasional indulgent treat, and that is nourishing!
Enjoy your life, enjoy all the things in it, and never forget to nourish yourself and others. Love peace & hugs, Mama
The only source I used was a Merriam-Webster dictionary, images from Bing
