I watch my granddaughter four days out of the week. On days I don’t have her, I try and make them my “Relaxation Days” but on most occasions, I get a feeling of restlessness.
One Monday afternoon, on a day I didn’t have Charli, I just couldn’t sit still. On most days, when I have “Charli Watch”, I start my day at 4 AM by listening to morning motivation videos on YouTube, do early morning stretches with Joanna Suh, and sit in mediation with Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. By 5:30 AM, I am off to the gym for a date with a treadmill. I make it back home with enough time to get my son up and off to school with a smoothie. My morning is like a well oiled machine.
My thinking days without Charli as “off days” , I feel I don’t have to put in work. I do not have to get up early and I do not have to put in the effort to take care of myself, I just want to “relax.” I finally realized at self-care isn’t work, it’s necessary to have a balanced and productive day, no matter what is on the schedule. So I will put in the work , maybe just not so early in the morning.
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Photo Source: Click Here. Stretching: YouTube Channel Meditation: The Chopra Center
It was about four years ago when I joined Toastmasters International or TI. For those who are not familiar with TI, it is a nonprofit, educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. The initial reason I joined was to become a better sales person because I talked too much. I could not close the sale.
I have an elderly neighbor who holds onto everything. She gives me things that are more than thirty years old sometimes. I appreciate the gifts but I wonder why is she holding on to the stuff or better yet what does she plan to do with it once she passes. It may sound like a morbid thought but it always brings me back to the decisions I make for me and my family. I want to leave my family with more than just debt! I realize it is the memories that last. We are all passing through this time and space, if we chose to let go of things, we could begin to hold on to love.
My granddaughter loves picking up long sticks and playing with them when she is outside. I used to take them away from her because I was afraid of her hurting herself. Now a days, I let her pick them up and watch her closely as she swings the sticks around like magic wands. I want her to always know that she has the right to create the life of her choosing. The magic is within each and everyone of us.
Life is about balance. As with any up there is a surely a down or vice versa. Without the rainy days we wouldn’t enjoy the sunny ones. These ups and downs are the waves that either bring or take away things for our good, even if we don’t realize it. Like our breath, the up and downs simply means life.
With every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. In many instances, so many of us can find fault in the behavior of others but rarely take a moment to ask ourselves “how did my behavior contribute to this?” It was a hard reality for me to face and I didn’t always like the reflection that I got back but I was able to see things in me that I could work on. Change begins from within and we all have the same opportunity to be the change we wish to see.
I am an avid walker but I have learned to pay attention to my body’s warning indicator signals like sore knees or pinched nerves. As much as I don’t like to stop walking, I know it’s my body’s way of letting me know I need to slow down. This is the only body I have, and as with anything, to keep it working and functioning the way it needs to, it requires self-care. Take time to relax, renew and refresh yourself, you are worth it.
Everyone will have an opinion of what you should do or what you should not do. When we try to please others the one person who gets hurt in the end is you. The biggest challenge is to keep going in the times of adversity. In times of strife, remember “tough times don’t last, tough people do.” It is all about developing your mental toughness.
They teach us in Toastmaster that in order to be a great speaker you have to be a great listener. Not everyone is a great communicator and sometimes the message gets lost in translation, but one thing is for sure, everyone wants to know they matter. Sometimes the greatest gift you can do for someone is to open your ears and close your mouth. Just listen and learn.
Sweet N Social 
