Care For Yourself Is Care For Others
I’ve been telling myself this phrase over and over this whole year so far. Since before the holidays, time has been moving at warp speed for me. I had to slam on the brakes a few times to take time for me. And you know what? NO REGERTS.
Caring for me means I can care for other people. If I don’t take care of me, I won’t be able to take care of anyone else.
Family First
My brother and sister-in-law welcomed their third child into the world on December 10th. My nephew Teddy and I agree that the blue ninja turtle is so perfect for being his little brother. Leonardo Rene is a tiny warrior. I’m so in love. So lately, when I haven’t been home in Chicago, I’ve been playing the very important role as Auntie and I love every minute of it.
A Fresh Perspective
Self care means something different for everyone. You know your body best. You know what makes you happy. Whatever you do, just be deliberate about it. Don’t just talk about needing a massage. Book it. Schedule bath time if you have to. Make it a point to treat yourself to something once a month because you freakin deserve it. No one is going to do it for you. And if you have someone that does that for you, WOW. Better hang on to that one.
Self care for me lately has looked like this:
media detachment
family time
more baths to keep myself grounded using my own products
spending time making whole food meals from scratch
bought myself facial sheet masks
got a new book (bought it in my sleep, but it’s fine)
got my 6 month dental cleaning done
got my eyes checked and bought new glasses
danced by myself to Madonna songs from the 80s
set and stuck to personal boundaries with people who were toxic
One of my eyes got better and the other got worse. (I would be googly-eyed.) Got some new glasses that I love though. It’s amazing how much better everything is through a freshly recalibrated pair of lenses. Shout out to my girl Tessa for the fabulous recommendation of using firmoo to order glasses. I got two pairs for $65. Let me know if you want my referral code. :)
The Bony Moon
I like to use the full moon phase to reflect on gratitude and let things go that don’t serve me well. It’s when I focus on completion and closure while welcoming the brightness of the full moon to fill me with hope and momentum for the next steps.
The February full moon is upon us. February 16th at its fullest. It’s more commonly known as the Snow Moon because February is always the snowiest month here in the Midwest. Native Americans also used to refer to it as the Hunger Moon or the Bony Moon because food became more scarce during this time of year.
You may have already noticed this in your grocery store recently, but prices on a lot of foods are definitely going up. And certain items are cleared out from shelves completely. These trends are nerve-racking and prompting some serious questions in my network of friends and family.
Back to Basics
On a recent visit to my brother’s farm, we discussed our garden plan for the year, what we have room to grow and how we can plan for long-term food storage. Going back to basics, growing what we eat, and working together for health and survival is the mission.
I’m super excited to read this book I ordered while half asleep last week. The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies has illustrations and identification information on common plants and how to use them as medicine.
A lot of the species of plants in here are things you’d think were weeds growing in your yard or on the side of the road. It’s awesome how many benefits are in things most people would find to be nuisances.
We can’t control what’s going on in the world around us right now. But what we can do is equip ourselves with education necessary for survival and adaptation.
Take care of yourself.
Take care of one another.