What feeds your soul

I've been sitting here for a good twenty minutes trying to figure out how to start this blog, and what exactly to say beyond my bare-bones idea.  This is pretty unusual for me - even when I'm struggling with what exactly to say, my problem is usually an overabundance of lofty ideas and run-on sentences, not a lack.  What makes this more ironic is that today I want to write about sources if inspiration.  Or maybe more accurately - what feeds or replenishes your soul.

Everybody has at least one thing.  Something that can make you feel calm, steady, and grounded even in the most challenging points of your life.

For me, it's the beach.  Water and swimming in general, the beach in particular.  Cliche though it may be, it's a cliche for a darn good reason.  Standing at the shore, watching the waves rush onto shore, listening to the the sounds of the water, the birds...and if you're lucky, not much else.

Stephen King, by the way, is the number-two source of soul replenishment.  Certainly less cliche than the beach, and probably a little insane to some people, but he has been my favorite author since I was 11 years old.

So in a strange connection between these two wonderful passions of mine, Duma Key is largely set near Sarasota, Florida.  I spent the fall-winter-spring of 08-09 in Sarasota working as an intern at the lovely Florida Studio Theatre, and the hands-down best part about living in Sarasota was that two of the most gorgeous beaches in the state were 10 and 20 minutes away from where I worked and lived.  I'd sometimes just go there for 20 minutes to sit and watch the sunset.  It's like taking a shot of peace of mind.

I finished the book yesterday, which is absolutely phenomenal, by the way.  I can't recommend it highly enough and could not put it down.

So what feeds your soul?  What does it mean when something "feeds your soul"?  I find I have a hard time going into detail to explain it - something quite rare for me!  The best I can describe it is it's something that is guaranteed to offer you peace of mind and contentment no matter what.