Shine

excerpt from Shine by Andrea Gibson 

"...Gandhi said
You must be the change
That you wish to see in the world
So you’ve been curled up and sad?
Good
Depression is the first blessing
It means you’ve been in tune
But now the moon is waiting
For you to burn bright
And there has never
Been a time
When your light
Was needed more
Never a time like this before

Yes you are small
We are all as small
As a single breath
But tied to the rest
We are all the life of the world
The pulse that turns rocks to pearls
Inside the darkness
Of their shells
So become the well
Where wishes are born
Become the bell
That rings when even
The birds refuse to sing
Become the wings that fly
And every time you’re full of sorrow
Every time you wake up crying
Know that that day
Is a perfect day
To shine"

**Gainesville folks...this life changing poet/spoken work artist is going to be performing at the Reitz Union Amphitheater on April 13 at 7:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public....so be there, or be.....well, just go- your heart and soul will thank you.

"You are worth your joy"

So, the DAY AFTER I wrote about self care my Dad found his way to a hospital bed with 2 pretty serious infections. The past 10 days have been spent happily doing everything BUT self care for myself. Still, in the back of my mind...in the fleeting quiet moments...I keep returning to my last blog post. And I'm STILL pretty unclear on how our support challenge will go...but I'll get there.

For now...here is a piece written by my friend Jill Malone called Moral. For those of you who have never read any of Jill's stuff, you are in for it...in such a good way.

Excerpt:

Your life is worth more than having to talk yourself into work every day. And you may say that’s a privileged attitude. But joy is something you work at. Joy is something you prioritize. What is your joy worth to you? Is it worth making less? Is it worth having to work your way up all over again? Is it worth trying something entirely new? What is your joy worth, sister, ’cause I can’t imagine you sat in a classroom when you were 12 and announced, “When I grow up, I’ll put up with anything in exchange for three weeks of paid vacation.”

Jill Malone, Moral

Self-Care

 50 Ways to Practice Great Self-Care Without Spending a Dime

 This list is full of great reminders. Here are a few that stood out to me:

- Get complete about one thing you have left undone and that is tugging at your attention.
- Make a Self-Care Calendar and mark out times just for you.
- Write a “Let it go” letter about something it is time to let go of.

Recently I got to a point where I realized I was taking care of everyone and everything- -except myself. It's a challenge to change such strong habits so Im starting with 1 or 2 things that are MOST important to me. It's so easy to stop taking care of ourselves. How do you practice self care? What is one thing you'd be willing to do differently?

I'm considering doing a self care challenge on this blog- would you be interested in participating? My thoughts are that if we support each other in making healthy changes we'll be more likely to stick with it. Suggestions? What kind of challenge would most support you?

 

 

 

Gainesville, Satchel's Pizza employees need your help!