I am friggin hungry!

“An over-indulgence of anything, even something as pure as water, can intoxicate.” 
― Criss Jami, Venus in Arms

I was sitting on my couch with my cat the other day feeling oddly hungry. I felt like I had this appetite for something I was missing deep within and it was making me irritable, hungry, yet empty at the same time.

I thought about making coffee or eating something, but it wasn’t food I was hungry for. It was deeper than that. I figured maybe I should go watch a movie or get up and do something fun but that wasn’t what I wanted either.  All of a sudden the thought hit me. I will go shopping.

The cat looked at me and I know he said…”you buying tuna”?

See, the cat has the same issue as me this week, cause a few days ago his food bowl was empty…

I digress….

As soon as I thought about shopping, that tasty morsel of satisfaction hit my brain. The internal hunger swelled up deep within and my mouth began to water. It was if my insatiable craving was getting a whiff of potential yumminess. For a few moments, just the idea of going shopping briefly satisfied my appetite.

As much as I wanted to feed this craving, I decided not to go and just let this feeling rest. While I waited for it to pass, I felt uninspired, bored, irritable, plus slightly annoyed because I was in a battle with a craving and the cat was pawing at me for dinner.

Before long, it passed, but I also had questions. (The craving, not the cat.)

When did I get so caught up in feeding myself material things?

When did this become my nourishment for my body, mind and soul?

It seems nowadays our diet goes beyond food as it includes a heavy helping of bad habits, drama, money and material things. We want more, more, more! If we don’t satisfy our hunger for this stuff, we get these growls and grumble in the pit of our stomach.

Some people hurt so much from this unquenchable appetite that their plate becomes a buffet of addiction. The belly roars for more sustenance so they overeat to stop the unfulfilled cravings and hunger pains. The cycle continues.

“Empty calories do nothing to nourish the soul.”

Unfortunately, society has made our ravenous desires a way of life….for everyone. We are all hungry and none of us are eating healthy. We now measure our self-worth and the self-worth of others against what we have or don’t have. It seems it depends on is how big your appetite is.

I realized within me there was a lack of fulfillment. It wasn’t my mind and body that needed nourishment, it was my soul. My soul needed a connection that it wasn’t getting and I had no idea how to feed it. My zen was eaten by the cookie-monster.

The cat likes that but still wants to have a cookie monster type treat.

I realized that there are a few good reasons to have this internal hunger. 

• It feeds our internal drive; our motivation and purpose. Without it we would never expand or explore outward or inward to learn and grow.
• It causes us to seek a deeper connection with others through gratitude and unconditional love.
• It fuels our inspiration and gives an outlet to our creativity.
• He is who we are, we need to need.

As far as quenching this internal hunger, I had a lot of food for thought.

Here is my healthy “soul” diet plan for you with a dollop of cat essence mixed in.

• Cat Essence of Patients- Stay mindful and present in the moment. Having more now will only create wanting more tomorrow. Looking for what you don’t have diminishes the beauty of being completely full and satisfied right now.
• Cat Essence of Determination Focus on your purpose; your awakened state of being. What is your motivation for life and what makes you hungry for more. Forage only what inspires and connects you consciously to your soul purpose.
• Cat Essence of Love-Find the state of graciousness within. Be thankful for the nourishment of love, presence of being, memories and joyful experiences. Feed yourself gratitude and serve only unconditional love in heaping proportions.
• Cat Essence of being inquisitive-It is a natural instinct to feel desire and want. A chemical is emitted into your body at the time of an urge. So instead of trying to stop it, purposefully ride the hunger waves. You can learn a lot by just being present when your stomach growls.
• Cat Essence of being Sassy-Know your heartfelt desires and learn to embrace pleasure in a positive way. To do this look toward the feeling in the heart, not the thoughts or lists in your head. If you would set a table and serve this delicious entrée to those you love then it is probably good for you too. Invite some friends, have fun!
• Cat Essence of having fun-when you feel hungry for something you can’t have; play, have fun and enjoy the simplicity of it all!  This will feed your soul and nourish your spirit. Plus it will make a happy cat.

I hope my lessons help you to be careful of what you eat. This isn’t a diet; it is a way of life because what you decide to feed to your soul becomes who you are, and that is reflective outward for all to see.

Eat healthy.

The Cat STILL wants tuna. Does he not read my blog?!?

KT!

Happiness in not IN the food bowl, it is IN a tummy full of tuna. 

Or is it….

He is missing the beauty of the lotus as he ponders for what he doesn’t have.