A few years back I started making an annual soul list: a list of things, one for each year of growth and learning to
bring joy, peace or freedom. That is, things that would feed the soul.

At my birthday I’d make the list, building from the last, or revising expectations. Then over the past couple of years things got pretty hairy with a family situation, studies absorbed every spare moment and my work environment was both chaotic and insecure. A few things got ticked off the soul list, but not with much joy, peace or freedom.

This year, the family situation is resolved, for now, the studies are done and work, despite an exhausting season of bushfires* is more stable.

My birthday was this week, and it feels like the right time to resurrect the soul list, albeit shorter.

1. Head to the ocean. I’ve been doing that a lot more than I would normally anyway. I will never be an ocean swimmer, surfer or even find a love for snorkelling, but I can appreciate the need to be present and in tune with the rhythms of each set and the rare glimpses of calm you can see under those waves.

2. Camp. I’m no longer a Girl Guide leader, or member, which means I’m not under canvas as much as I was. In the last years of my Guiding, I was rarely in camp at all. I’ve missed the smell of the wet grass and soil outside the tent flap, the cosy warmth of a crackling fire and the endeavour of camping, hiking and cooking outdoors.

3. Bake sourdough bread. It’s been on my soul list for a while. This year’s the year.

4. Get the kayak onto the water. It’s another from a past soul list. I’m going to sign up to a couple of group paddles to explore new waters.

5. Go through the photo albums and start digitising the collection. My folks evacuated their home several times through the fires, bringing boxes of documents, photos and saved ephemera with them each time. My partner started scanning and documenting the files for them, capturing snippets of oral history as my distressed Mum lost herself in the storytelling. It was both a salve for the moment, and a practical thing to do in these uncertain times.

6. Plant Australian bush foods and start using them in my cooking. I did a wonderful and enlightening bush foods workshop at the South Coast Jamboree last year and am keen to bring some of the plants I learned about into my herb garden. 

7. Plan and host more dinner parties.

8. Spend time with my sister and her family. We had plans for Christmas, but the threat of fires and the plea from emergency services to cancel unnecessary travel meant plans were cancelled.

9. Enjoy the city I work in. I come in to Sydney for work, but rarely step outside of the office, let alone explore what's happening beyond the immediate block of where I work. No festivals, no shows, no catching up with friends or work colleagues for a drink or dinner out. Time to make plans to stay in town more often.

10. Do a photography course. It might need to be online for this year, but I have all the gear and no idea. I'm a complete novice and would love to properly be able to use the lenses and filters I have. Every goodish shot I've ever taken has been a little bit of knowledge and a whole lotta luck.

10 items for the soul list. Short, sweet, soul-filling.

* I lead on emergency management communications at Australian Red Cross