I’m beyond blessed to live in such stunning surroundings – it took ages for me to get here and I worked at it but I appreciate it all so much.
The spot above is a mere 20 minute stroll from where I live – and that includes loads of stopping to take pics of bees, butterflies, flowers, cows, sheep etc.
Rain or shine, it is a stunning place to live and work and walk and cycle.
Even so, sometimes, like this morning, I had to really psyche myself up to go out.
So much work to do. FitBit beeping away in disgust as, since my morning yoga, I hadn’t moved from my computer.
I didn’t have enough time between clients to go into town and I couldn’t decide between a walk or bike ride. Am literally spoiled for choice here.
Eventually, I just did it. And within seconds, as I admired the mountains, the meadows, the hills, the everything, not only did I feel better physically, to be MOVING, but my soul was soaring. My heart singing.
My work revolves around self care because even now, it doesn’t come naturally to me.
I was the kid who’d be shivering but not even thinking to put an extra layer on. By my 20s, my body started yelling at me in ways I could no longer ignore and learning to listen and pay attention ultimately transformed my life.
Even now, though, while I KNOW I feel better when I make vegetable soups and smoothies (I’ll never be someone who enjoys eating salad so I sneak nutrients), all I’ve eaten so far today are two bourbon biscuits.
Fortunately, I’ve learned to put enough supports in place that I’ve now put enough lunch on for today and leftovers tomorrow (so I don’t have to consciously think about what to eat tomorrow lunchtime). In an hour or so, I’ll do the same for (belated) breakfast!
My morning meditation, yoga and eft routine is so essential to my wellbeing, it’s non negotiable. I have some very early starts coming up the next few days and I know that I’ll make time for this start to the day (even if it’s just one or two yoga poses instead of a full practice).
But food, or getting out – my inner toddler still sometimes runs that show.
What about you?
Which elements of your self care are effortless?
Which have become more chore than treat?
As I was heading home, still beaming ear to ear because I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being surrounded by so much beauty, I struggled to identify these flowers.
Before I activated my trusty new PlantSnap app (it’s amazing – you take a pic of any flower and it tells you what it is), I realised they were the tallest daffodils I’d ever seen.
I remembered someone telling me about how they’d moved a shed in their garden and realised that a daffodil had had such a strong will to grow that it had grown underneath and around the whole shed to bloom on the other side.
These daffodils, I imagine, grew taller than any I’d seen before in an effort to seek light above the surrounding foliage.
There’s that part of ALL of us that’s already healthy, happy and whole and which KNOWS what we need in any given moment.
Self care can be as simple as listening to this healthy, whole, happy part and living life as if we genuinely cared about ourselves.
What is that part of yourself telling you would be nourishing and loving for you right now?
When we connect with the inner wisdom instead of thinking we “should” do all these things, it’s soooo much more enjoyable.
Big love,
