Whelp...not a horrible start to this commitment to caring for myself in these final weeks of my NW adventure. However, I think it is important to note that I don't think it's a coincident that I woke up with an awful head cold. Of course - on the day that I plan to intentionally take care of my mind, body and soul - I wake up feeling miserable. Last week I attended a brief lecture on secondary trauma (the vicarious trauma people experience when they work with highly traumatized populations) and self care where the guest speaker indicated that when you just happen to get sick on every vacation or as soon as you have some time off then you know you're not doing the best job of taking care of yourself. Hello story of my life. This is a pattern I am way too familiar with. Hence, I believe this little mission could not have begun at a more appropriate time.
Self-care today looked a bit different than I thought it would. I thought I would awake at 6 for a little strength-training routine and my own uninterrupted shower prior to waking the wee little ones who aren't really so little anymore and ushering them off to school. Waking with a nasal cavity filled with all sorts of stuff I'm sure you don't want to read about here required that I change my plan a bit. Instead, I allowed my body a bit of extra sleep and chose not to feel guilty about it or allow myself to feel stressed or rushed as a result of this change in plans. Surprisingly, the morning pace was remarkable calm despite my extra sleep and we were all able to enjoy a delightful breakfast together! The girls were thrilled to have both Brian and I actually sit with them while they were eating rather than making their lunches or preparing our own. Overall, it was a great start to the first day of this 70-day mission.
Other delights of the day included: a warm cup of spiced chai while I completed some afternoon paperwork at my internship, a brisk walk around the track at a nearby middle school with Bri while we chatted about our day, a fabulous Greek dinner that all of the girls gobbled up, and a little creative card-making after the girls went down to bed. Not too shabby. But Brian leaves
town tomorrow to head back to Colorado for his grandfather's funeral. It will be a challenge to find time to tend to myself while I am completely husbandless for a few days. Maybe it's a good thing that my commitment is being challenged by all sorts of unexpected occurrences so early in the game. If I tackle these challenges and prove to myself that I can still find time each and everyday to nourish my own body, mind and soul - then maybe this little mission will revolutionize this mom-of-three's crazy life.
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