Blog for the Soul

Remember those "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books? 

It was this series of books that was composed of short stories submitted by people all over the country.  Some titles included:

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul

Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love

Even Chicken Soup for My Dog's Life!

Those stories made me laugh, cry, and contemplate things about my life.

I don't really know what made me start thinking about these books recently.  I must admit that I have been more homesick than usual recently being away from everyone I care about, and these books were just another memory of that home so far away.

I don't mean to make this a sappy post at all, but I realized recently that I began to feel more "down" than my normal peppy self and not be able to shake that feeling.  I barely even wanted to cook because while I used to cook to get the stress out of my life, I realized that in the process of doing so, I stopped enjoying cooking.  Studying psychology myself, I should have known that this association would happen.  

But I also realized that this isn't me!  I am upbeat, optimistic, and enthusiastic; not depressing or negative.  I realized this today when I cooked dinner with my roomie--it was Taco Tuesdays and we had so much fun just eating.  It wasn't anything extravagent to say the least, but it was delicious just the same.  At the very basic level, I found a fun moment that I will remember for some time.

So I decided to challenge myself.  I am challenging myself to nurture my "soul" (see the connection!?) and think about the good things that I am experiencing right now, down here in D.C.  I will enjoy cooking and the amazing city that is a short drive down 66.  My life will not revolve around the three days every five or so weeks that a loved one comes to visit me.   It will revolve around my love of school, cooking, and of myself.

And don't worry folks, there will still be recipes.

Like this.... oh and like this.

But there will also be posts about my days down here away from my family.  If you just want the recipes, that's okay too--there's a page just for you ; )

So my first start today will be a little announcement:

I will be running a marathon next March : )

I will be training with a good friend of mine and focus my frustration and homesickness in another place besides the kitchen.  I am very excited to do this, and have a few races before that, like the Army 10-Miler and the Hot Chocolate 15K.  So this blog will also be about my training as well.

So bottom line---I will be a happier, healthier Rachel.

Thank you for dealing with my little rant, and I am glad to be back in the blogging world!