Turning towards oneSelf

A  member of the April Digestive Reset group had an aha moment yesterday, and it wasn't about what she was eating. It was about the clear need to take better care of herself. 

She realized she had her car regularly serviced, and her electronic items, but that she rarely took time and space to service herself. 

This is such an important realization. Many of us come to it, but often it's at a point when the body or mind is breaking down. We have no choice but to pay attention.

And so much comes down to the way we are with ourselves. Not just what we do or don't do, but the way we do these things. Rushing through meal prep or eating on the run. Trying to fit one more thing into an already overloaded schedule. Doing the thing, but splitting our attention so that much of us is not really there.

No judgement, please, no blame. Just, let's look and see how we're treating ourselves.

What would it be like to sloooooow the whole thing down a bit? To cut something out of our morning routine, so we could revel in the one practice we love, rather than squeezing all of it in?

We don't need to keep squeezing ourselves (I know it feels that way sometimes, like there is no choice. And sometimes that's true, and so often it's simply not true anymore, but a left over strategy from long ago).

This week I've been chasing better sleep. Means, I've been looking at serious down time in the evenings to let my brain and emotional body unwind from all the things.

I'm looking to see how it's going, and yesterday I saw how, in spite of my good intentions, I've consistently had a few too many things on my list. I'm good at being productive. But I need more space right now to digest all that's going on.

Let's not lose track of ourselves. Let's promise to stay connected and keep returning each day to see how we're really doing, and to care for ourselves as if we were our only child.

The Journey

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice—

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do—

determined to save

the only life you could save.

-Mary Oliver