What nourishes you?

What nourishes you? What soothes your soul? What expands your mind? What are the one or two things that are such an essential part of your being that you can't imagine life without them? I'm not talking about family or religion. I'm talking about activities or things you do for yourself.

I love to read. I love to read blogs, books of every genre, magazines. I can't imagine life without reading. I read to educate myself. I read to escape. I read for fun. although I definitely lean towards the conservative end of the spectrum, I do not limit myself to reading pieces from people with similar ideologies. How can I in good conscience espouse a belief and teach my kids about it if I do not at least attempt to understand both sides of the argument? Reading gives me the knowledge to teach my kids what I want them to learn. I read books that friends have recommended and when I'm lucky I find one that speaks to me. One book I read recently that I really connected with is "The Time Traveler's Wife". Not only is it a highly original, gripping story but it dealt with infertility and loss in a way that really touched me. I found this wonderful book through an infertility blog I read (she has a great review of it). Go get the book...read it... it is wonderful. I also read purely for escapism and fun. Recently I stumbled across a series that is perfect for this...the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. Its silly, a lot of fun, and feeds the shoe obsession I can no longer afford to feed since I have kids. When you are really, really lucky, you pick up a book for the fun escapism of reading and find a book that makes you think. For any of you who like Harry Potter, I highly recommend the Young Wizard series by Diane Duane. The books are fun and quite addictive and Ms. Duane's take on Wizardry is rooted in religion and creation. They make you think and that is always a good thing.

The best thing about loving to read is passing that love on to the next generation...your kids, your nieces and nephews, your friends' kids. Nothing is better than watching a child get excited about a book. Hehehe...we were out running errands yesterday and, as we drove past the library, Gabe started yelling "Book Book!" How cool is it that he already recognizes the library and he isn't even 2 yrs old?

Another thing that is integral to who I am is my love of crafts. I particularly love to cross stitch and crochet. My time spent cross stitching or crocheting soothes me. I can be tense and uptight and as I sit down to stitch I feel all that just fall away. I love to create. I love to design. I love to express myself through my art.

What do you love to do? What makes you who you are?