It's been a rough month-- evidenced by the fact that I posted very, very rarely in September. I believe things are picking up, the veil of grief is lifting, and I'm going to try again to post more regularly.
Even in the midst of the bleakness of the last few months, I have tried to keep an eye to moments of truth and beauty. I've also tried to keep my heart tuned to appreciating the simple, little things that can make a big difference on any given day. I've been working on a list. Everything on the list requires action-- a small, personal investment in making that difference. They're all little things, and the difference they can make in a day is more about paying attention to the gentle contribution to sanity they make than it is about the action itself.
1. Taking out the stinky garbage.
2. Making a cup of tea.
3. Taking a hot bath.
4. Stopping to smell the fresh lavender on the corner of Nicola and Beach.
5. Interrupting my seawall workout to pet the dogs.
6. Filling the fruit basket.
7. Doing the dishes.
It looks pretty mundane, typed up like that. But it's a "to do" list that's made a difference for me. Removing things like taking out the garbage and doing the dishes from the "tedious household tasks" list and putting them on the "self-care and personal nurture" list is a great shift in perspective. And giving myself a mandate to relax and do things that are good for me (tea, lavender, dogs, baths) is important right now. It reminds me of the saying, "Don't hurry, don't worry, and don't forget to smell the roses."
No comments:
Post a Comment