Inktober Day 8: Cultivate Soul & Body

She dared to write a book about a female protagonist in the 1800s. And not just one female but four sisters and their mother. Louisa May Alcott wrote the timeless classic, Little Women. She openly portrays the trails and tribulations of a family of women, who hold down the home front while their father/husband is off to war. Time passes, they grew up, grow wiser and face life and death. It is a magnificent story about the human spirit, the power of family, AND the necessity to follow your own path.

I was with a seventeen year old woman today. We spent the day together and I talked about when I was a senior in high school without the Internet. There were no cell phones, no Facebook, no Instagram, no Influencers, no chat groups and no tracking apps. We did our homework on paper, read books with covers, watched movies only at a movie theatre and shopped in stores…nothing was online. She looked at me like I was from Mars….then we laughed. We had great conversations about the differences and similarities between being a teen then and now. She’s applying to colleges and her life is about to change in a big way.

I had a hard time relating to her online childhood. I also have to admit, I was relieved to not have gone through puberty with the internet. WHEW! Did my generation dodge a bullet or what? And it made me think about Louisa May Alcott going through puberty with a war on and living with three sisters. “Cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can.” A powerful perspective whether there is an internet or not.

How much better would we be as people if we spent more time cultivating our soul and body instead of living our lives online? The internet is an amazing tool, we just need to remember that THAT is what it is, a tool. We have a choice everyday of how we want to live, work and present ourselves in every aspect of our lives – online or in person. Being with a teenager today reminded me of what I missed, what I am thankful that I missed, and the choices I never had to make in my time. Life is complicate, no matter in what period of time you live. Let’s agree to spend more of our valuable time cultivating soul and body and less time on things that will fade away. We are what we spend our time doing…so spend your time wisely!