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I've been neglecting my blog. One thing about living in NYC, is that you will never find yourself asking OTHERS if they'd like to visit. I don't mind having house-guests, but I've been neglecting myself, as a result.

Last Sunday, I dedicated a day to restoring my soul. I was just finishing my all-time favorite book ("The Picture of Dorian Gray" - by the wonderfully witty, Oscar Wilde) for the fifth or sixth time. This book explores how a person's soul is affected by the choices they make in life and the good or evil things they do. In short, a British artist paints a picture of a narcissistic young man who secretly makes a wish to remain beautiful forever, with the painting aging instead.

As you might expect, the narcissist evolves from a naive, doe-eyed boy, to a prisoner of his own self-destructive immortality. The ending is really spectacular and the book is horrifying and brilliant from start to finish - Wilde being a mastermind at developing characters, and cleverly piecing together thoughts and words.

This led me to question myself. If your soul had a face, what would you see? Though I won't go into detail of my own personal conclusions, I think it is worth bringing up for the sake of anyone who hasn't recently taken a look at their inner reflection.

So last Sunday, for my own personal satisfaction and validation of the idealistic good I proclaim, I took a day for invigorating my soul. I did this with three of the only ways I know how: endorphins, books, and church. This may seem simplistic to some, but it was effective. I ran through Central Park. And when I was weary, I climbed up a curving, green hill and absorbed the sun. I found a church, and I went. Faith and hope being one of the predominate sources of my inner strength, in addition to my naturally undying optimism. And finally, I spent an hour or so, perusing through the bookstore - turning pages and fondling raised titles. I found a new book and I went home and filled my head with as many words as I could until my heavy eyes fell.