Days 2 -8: Playing Catch Up

Has it really been over a week since I last posted? Well, this hasn't been due to my not doing things for myself; just the opposite in fact. This is just a quick recap of some of the things I've been doing . . . .

1) Put up floating shelves, and moved my "sacred" space onto them. My candles, essential oils, incense, and meaningful doodads are now up on the wall where they are readily available and visible, but not in any danger of being lost under a pile of papers, laundry, or other detritus of day-to-day living.

2) Listening to The Twelve Gateways to Freedom by Dan Millman, which i am liking very much and highly recommend to anyone desiring a richer, fuller, more fulfilling life.

3) Stocking up on fresh produce, and indulging in spirulina smoothies, salads, and even a guilt-free chocolate covered banana.

4) Getting things done. Several areas of my life have been sitting in a state of perpetual suspense, not necessarily unraveling but not moving forward either. This last week I've been shifting back into the driver's seat of my life, mapping routes, changing flats, and overseeing tuneups, so to speak.

5) Taking care of my health. Again, there have been necessary steps regarding my health that I have been procrastinating on. This last week I've been crossing things off my list as I've either handled them or ruled them out as unnecessary after all.

6) Reacquainting myself with my art supplies. Not that I've done anything with them, but this is the first time in over two years that some of my stuff has been out of their box. Now I've got it where it's easy to access.

7) Lighting my candles, and burning my incense. Now that they are accessible, I actually use my essential oils, incense, and candles. How nice to have a sacred space of my own again!

Rather then sitting around thinking about all of the various things I "should" be doing, or "wish" I could accomplish, I've been doing and accomplishing this last week. Its a good feeling to simply be crossing things off my lists again. And making plans. And feeling alive!

One of my projects for this week is to start getting rid of the excess. There are many things in my home which have outgrown their usefulness, and are simply taking up space at this point: My son's old clothes and shoes, certain kitchen items which never actually get used, etc.

This has been a good exercise for me, finding ways to reward myself that do not involve over-indulging or eating the wrong food. The best part is that rather than feeling remorseful afterward, I feel enlivened and excited about the future.

What Have I Done for Me Lately?

So many times when speaking with other women , our conversation turns to things that we enjoy doing but rarely do, such as listening to our favorite music by candlelight, hiking in the woods, or curling up with a good book.

Usually it's a story of falling into the habit of putting other people's needs and wants before our own, to such an extent that we forget or are too worn out to take time for ourselves.

For myself, I see how I compensate when my own needs are not being met by indulging in foods I know are not good for me, overspending, or giving myself a rest instead of getting in my daily exercise. As a result I've gained a tremendous amount of weight, and gone into serious debt, leaving me feeling unappealing, depressed and unhealthy.

But focusing on what is wrong in my life generally leads to more of the same.

So my current objective is to do something nice for myself each day and then blog about it, to note the effects this approach has on my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

DAY 1

This morning I did something I haven't done in a long, long time. Something that I used to take for granted as so much a part of my daily routine that I did not even recognize how beneficial it was.

What was this wondrous and amazing thing, you ask?

The answer is: Spa Treatment

I waxed my legs, took a long hot shower, then indulged in a pedicure, facial and full skin care regime. To follow-up I put on make up and earrings before giving my house its thorough Saturday cleaning. For the first time in a long time I felt almost pretty! And it was just for me.

Probably I won't do the spa treatment every day, but I will try to keep it up on a weekly basis at least, because it felt amazing! And it's such a simple thing to do for myself.