Self Care

I am holding my heart very tenderly while the shadow and light dance all around it.

I turn 40 in a couple of weeks, I’m in the middle of a divorce and I’m still working to get my career squarely off the ground while wading through all of this transition.

A little over a year ago, I did a meditation asking my guides to bring all of my life lessons to me. It seems that this has happened in a very concentrated sort of way ever since. I am so grateful for all of the lessons I’ve learned and I am left feeling a little tired and run down from it all. I’ve been sick a lot, my skin has been rough and my eyes are often puffy and red either from crying or lack of sleep. A big part of this lesson has been to just take care of myself and honor my own feelings and needs first, including the needs of my body.

Taking care of myself and allowing good to flow to me is always the hardest thing for me. I come from a hard-working family and my husband of 20 years has a run-yourself-into-the-ground sort of work ethic. It has been hard for me to allow myself to rest or just take care of my body and spirit without guilt among people for whom self-care is a foreign concept.

I am learning to shake off these voices. When I take the time to lay in a mineral bath, mask my face, relax or (gasp!) just do nothing, I get rejuvenated. I feel uplifted and have far more energy than I would have if I kept going or tried to take on one more task. I am learning that it’s okay to sleep if I’m tired and to sit and look out the window watching the leaves dance on the trees if that brings me joy.

My body is the temple of my spirit. If I don’t tend to my temple, I am not honoring the Life that is animated within it. So I am resting, nurturing, loving and appreciating my body and it feels good.

Nothing is more important than feeling good.