Food for the Soul

by Dr. Robert J. Wicks

Erma Bombeck once said that she thought that "any man who watches three football games in a row should be declared legally dead."

People often complain, "I’m overwhelmed. Too busy. Under stress. Not living. Just existing." Yet, rather than scheduling holy leisure or prayer as a priority, they leave it out of their schedule. Then when cracks in the day’s or week’s duties do arrive, they are not prepared to be rejuvenated with the truly good things of life. Instead spacing out with a mediocre TV show or just filling oneself with junk food is done out of habit rather than awareness. Is it any wonder then that we stop at the end of a month or year and say, "Where did the time go? What do I really have to show for it? Why do I continue to exist, be busy and resentful or bored and unfulfilled?"

A number of years ago, a friend of mine who was dying called me and asked if I would join him at his bedside. I hadn’t seen him in years and didn’t even know he was ill. Naturally, I responded immediately. When we had chatted for a while, he asked the question, "What good things are you doing in your life, Bob?"

I responded by listing all of my accomplishments and the fruits of my busy schedule. After patiently listening to me for a while he said, "Not that garbage, Bob. The good stuff."

I was confused and said, "I’m not sure what you mean."

He smiled and said, "The good things, Bob: Tell me about the good friends you have. The quiet walks you’ve taken with God. The movies that have made you think. The biographies that have inspired you. The museums to which you belong. You know, the good things."

Well, I didn’t know about "the good things: and this conversation with a dying friend made me feel embarrassed, even ashamed. Me, a person who was enjoying the gift of a healthy life, was not giving any attention to feeding my soul. He was more spiritually well than I was. But, I could do something about it.

I now spend evenings reading and taking notes from good books and sacred scriptures. I underline and try to absorb their goodness by taking notes I can reread and memorize. I look forward to quiet time in the morning with God. I am conscious of having friends with whom I can share my faith journey. My life is still very involved, but no longer just busy and hurried. The nurturing time makes even the active parts more meaningful. The "good things" my dying friend called to my attention made this possible for me. How about you? Interested?

Dr. Robert J. Wicks is on the faculty of Loyola College in Maryland and author of "Living a Gentle, Passionate Life (Paulist Press).