chase the light + it will find you! Day #5

 More and more..I am seeing (really seeing...which means putting into practice) how truly essential self care is! To me, my marriage, mothering, creativity, health...everything!!! I am seeing how my needs change from day to day (hour to hour sometimes!) and how I have to listen deeply to the whispers. I am seeing (in retrospect) how many long years of neglecting my needs, of not feeling worthy of asking for what I need and of assuming I don't need self care had left me feeling dried up and spent. I have no idea how I even made it through my teen years without any self care at all...save for my journal/sketchbook. But those very years prepared me for this path I am on right now. Those very years of neglectful apathy planted the seeds of who I am today. Those experiences carved my path. They led me to live in an ashram in my mid twenties...where I could mend my broken spirit, immerse myself in solitude and rest my very weary self. They led me on a  4 month pilgrimage to India where I could find my way back to self. They led me to art, photography, books, writing, seeking the true, committed to lifelong learning and healing. those very experiences of hardship led me to ...chasing light.

Now I am all about discovering the light within and beyond. It's fun! And fills me up to overflowing. Really, friends...it's all about self care as a daily practice and necessity! It doesn't have to be complicated either; actually I find that simplicity is key. It's all about the listening to what we need and then...leaning into those whispers. My top 10 simple acts of self care:
1. writing in my journal
2. going for a walk (now I also incorporate photo walks)
3. exercise!!! most days I need to work out and then...I need to listen to my body when it needs  a rest as well
4. setting boundaries!! So so so important friends!! Can't stress this one enough in terms of what it's done for my peace of heart and mind. No more being overrun by guilt and poor choices feels like a huge deep breath of freedom!
5. reading

6. appreciating simplicity; gratitude as a practice
7. community, tribe, friends, love
8. laughter...and holding hands
9. a cup of tea
10. listening to ourSELVES = honoring ourSELVES. Our intuitive self knows what we need, what we seek, what to leave alone.
 chase the light and it will find you!