About the upkeep of self and others...

I was cooking breakfast this morning and while I was waiting for my coffee to brew, I cleaned up the sink and put away what were in the dish rack from yesterday when this thought hit me : I, like all things in life, deteriorate despite my daily efforts to upkeep them.

I wash my face for it to get dirty and I wash it again.

I take out trash only to have trash again.

I eat and I get hungry and I eat again.

Everyday I need to take care of myself and even so I get old and I die eventually.

Everyday I take care of my plants and they give flowers but they get old and they die too.

I spend a big amount of time and energy in the care of my physical body.  Eight hours I sleep and I prepare meals and I have daily grooming routine to follow and I exercise and I make sure my living environment is healthy too.  And there is the emotional me that needs attention and regular pruning too.  I need time to feel, to heal and to be ready to give, to embrace, and even to be hurt again.  

The routine of eat and drink and get hungry and thirsty again is to me, a constant reminder that I am indeed made of earth and to earth shall I return.  I have limitations.  The routine of cleaning the cat litter box knowing I will need to do it again the following morning, like other routines in our lives, gives me a sense of security.  We all need routines to help anchor us.  The need for routine, for structure, however, also points to the fact that the world can't sustain itself.  We, without proper care, or even with proper care, deteriorate.

I pray, that my soul eats and drinks from the well of Him, that I may not be hungry and thirsty again.