Self care

Self-Care… what is that? 

• Is that what I do when I go to the local drug store and ask the pharmacist what to take for this and that ailment? 
• Is self-care what I do when I look myself square in the mirror and ask where it all went wrong? 
• Is self-care what happens when a friend or loved one asks to do some task with/for me, and I pull away and say ‘I can take care of it myself?’

No, none of these is what I am talking about.   Self-Care is what we do when we take care of ourselves, mind, spirit and body. 

Our Mind:  Do we think on those things that are positive?  Do we dwell on the difficulties of life, or do we seek to focus on the silver lining?  Every situation has positive aspect. 

I remember when I was a child, and we lived down a country road.  We had to walk several blocks to reach the school bus; and when we did, we were on a dirt road that no one would claim:  The County claimed that it belonged to the city, but the city would not own it.  In the country, there were no leash laws.   We usually put out the household trash the night before pick up day.  More than once, we children were told by our mother to go out and clean up the debris that the neighborhood dogs had strewn about the yard.  One day, I suppose we had already gone to school by the time the dogs found the trash.  Mother was very frustrated that yet again, the dogs seem to rule the streets.  I am not sure what her thought processes were that morning, but I do remember reading her testimony.   In the middle of her frustration, she became thankful.  No, not thankful for the dogs and the debris, but she became thankful for the trash heaped up in the yard.  The trash indicated that we had the substance to buy things that came in packaging that needed to be discarded.  The trash indicated that we had more than enough to eat.  The trash was symbolic of our blessings.

Our Spirit:  Whom are we connected to that enrich our spirits?   Do we spend time meditating?  Do we spend time in worship?  Do we tap into eternity?

Eternity.  This is not something that happens after we die.  Eternity is where we are every day.  We are on the edge of the future… each day we spend, we become closer.   We tend to forget that though we are living in bodies, the real us, the part that matters has no ending. 

Think about your day.  What happened today that was a response to a need, and what happened today that changed another’s day?   The two ideas are not mutually exclusive.  However, we must ensure that we are not just attending to needs because the needs are unmet.  We need to attend to that for which we have passion.  Passion is the drive to be the best, the drive to make a difference, the drive to right an injustice.  The passion in all of us is what spurs us to change the future, and by changing the future, we tap into eternity.

Passion:  We saw that with Mother Teresa in Calcutta.  We see that with Donald Trump and his real estate holdings.  Both are examples of what people can do when they follow their passion.  What are you doing?  What am I doing?  Where is the passion connection?

Our Bodies:  What are we doing to care for our bodies?

Do we eat well?  Do we exercise?  Do we find that quiet place where we can relax and just be?  Too often, we are so busy doing that we forget who we are.  We forget that our energy resources are not inexhaustible.  We forget that our flesh and blood bodies must be cared for.  We need food, drink, space… but we also need those things that enable us to rest.  

Look around you —  Whom do you see who is nourishing himself in these areas:  Spirit, soul and body?   Who is the most passionate person you know?  Is he happy; is she fulfilled?   Touching eternity?   What do they know that we have forgotten?   We have forgotten how to self-care.