What feeds your soul? Maybe you don’t know. Maybe you know, but you don’t do anything to actually engage in soul-revitalizing activities. But hopefully, at some point, you not only know, but you get to the point where you give yourself permission to actually do some things, just to be kind to yourself.
I love being outdoors. That’s why you’ve seen photos of snow-coated branches here and on my own blog. Something about fresh air, the beauty of nature, connects me with God, and with myself.
As much as I enjoy winter, even here in Chicago, sometimes you need a break from a constant barrage of snowstorms and icy winds.
Months ago, the good women at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church outside of San Francisco called me to see if I’d be willing to leave Chicago in February to come and speak.
My friend and administrative assistant Wendy urged me to accept the invitation, and suggested we make a weekend of it. I didn’t realize how much I would need the weekend until now, when I’ve come home again.
I have this slight tendency toward being a driven, intense workaholic, not to put to fine a point on it. While I firmly believe in taking a Sabbath each week, I also take quite seriously the other part of the equation: “six days shall you labor.” And most weeks, I work six days a week.
But last weekend, I took a few days to simply stop and smell the redwoods, to have a great weekend with a good friend. I love being outside, and I’ll do it even here in the snow. Seeing the beauty of God’s creation, and being out in the middle of it, feeds my soul. Walking with my dog through a snowy woods just turns my heart toward God. Driving a convertible up U.S. 1 as the sun glimmers on the Pacific–that’s pretty great, too. Everywhere we went, Wendy and I breathed deeply (those redwoods smell great!) and kept yelling out “Thank you, God!”
Now, northern California in February can be iffy—while it doesn’t typically snow that close to the ocean, it can be rainy and foggy. But we lucked out. It was sunny and in the high sixties or better during the day. The fact that it was below zero back home in Chicago made it even sweeter–not that I’m gloating or anything.
Wendy worked hard to find great deals on hotels—both of which included spa facilities. The first was in Bodega Bay, right on U.S. Rt. 1, on the beach. The other in Sonoma, an adorable, eclectic little town in California wine country.

It’s amazing what a weekend that includes a massage, eating out, several walks on the beach, driving through beautiful countryside, and a bit of wine tasting will do to rejuvenate and reduce stress.
I’ve read that your susceptibility to illness increases with stress. So I figured this weekend was a way to boost my immunity.
I turn 45 today. The trip was a birthday present to myself, in a way. And a celebration of the fact that might finally be getting to the point in life where I am wise enough to realize that in order to care for others, you have to be able to care for yourself. When I was younger, I rarely even considered the question, “What feeds my soul?” In the past few years, I’ve begun to ask it, and thank God, to know the answer. And then, to move beyond simply knowing what would be good, to actually doing those things. To find the freedom to actually get out there and do things that feed my soul—from a walk in the snow to a drive along the Pacific Ocean.
It takes courage, in a way, to not worry about what others think. Ironically, it’s when I stop worrying about what others think that I can actually bring my best gifts to them.

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