here
this week, i have been leaning into rest. i have been reading (just for fun) and working in bed while she naps and even napping once or twice. jon and i went on an impromptu valentine's day date (the babysitter had come over so i could work, but instead jon picked me up and we had an early dinner...it felt like breaking the rules in the best of ways). i have been trying to get to bed earlier. and i've been trying to observe myself with a more compassionate focus.
i am noticing that life feels softer when i rest more. i feel softer. i am more likely to move through my day with kindness and love (toward myself, toward others). it seems so obvious but it simply is hard for me to remember some days (and weeks it seems).
tonight, i am thinking about how the remembering feels like a dance of getting to know myself again and again. and i choose to see this as a beautiful gift i give myself. because there will be days full of overwhelm and misunderstandings and forgotten deadlines and unexpected bumps in the road. but i will keep reaching for compassion, and i will try to remember that rest is so often the answer.
the poem that is pasted into my journal in the photo above is "love after love" by derek walcott. it is about remembering yourself. i keep it in constant rotation over here. i invite you to add it to your self-care toolbox. you can read all of this poem over here.
journaling, poetry, smash journal in here
Reader Comments (4)
"Sit. Feast on your life." I love that line as it feels like an invitation to slow down and really savor all the wonders my life has to offer instead of rushing it through like drive through food. Delightful!
Compassion has become one of my most favorite words in the past three years, and I believe it's the main thing that finally cleared a path for me to find the way to heal physically and, with that, emotionally. It's the first word I try to remember whenever I find myself harshly judging either myself or someone else. I really needed the reinforcement of your words and that poem today. Thank you.
this is one of my favorite poems. I had forgotten about it. Rereading it sends chills up my spine.
I love this poem, thanks for reminding me of it.
Being kind to oneself is very hard for some of us and I understand your feelings.