Today, I had a colonoscopy...something I have been putting off for years, but after the shock of losing my friend, Marc, I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. It’s easy to keep putting self-care off...easy, that is, until I get sick, overwhelmed, or exhausted, and suddenly don’t have the energy to care for the people who count on me...I am beginning to understand that taking care of myself is neither selfish nor indulgent; it’s just plain practical. And after today, I wonder why it is that I put this off so long...Maybe it was the memory of the one I had in 1987 when they did not use anything to put you in that "twilight" zone...but more likely it is because I put myself so low on the totem pole that I rarely got to myself...
I have found that putting myself first means that it may be necessary to say no to someone else in order to say yes to myself. “I am caring for myself so that I am better able to care for others”...the best prescription for taking care of myself is small, daily rituals... taking one half-hour for myself either at the beginning or end of the day to meditate, journal, or just be...which is a ritual that I am trying to get back to.
Making some small gesture where I put myself first every day will help me care better for the ones I love. Sometimes I just need to be reminded to breathe...
which is why it is my newest tattoo...right on my wrist so I see it every day!
BREATHE...I did that today, after I took care of myself...
LIFE IS GOOD!
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