Self-care

I don't think I do enough self-care when things are going well so then when everything falls apart, I don't have the routines in place.  Not that I completely neglected it before.  I've made some really good lifestyle choices in the last five years that have built some self-care into my life.  But it wasn't enough.

So today after work, as I lay on the couch and just wanted to close my eyes and disappear, I forced myself to get up.  I changed into something other than my lounge clothes, put on my tennis shoes, and headed out the door to the local park.  The weather was actually fairly mild, in the upper 70s and overcast.

I didn't have a specific goal in mind.  I just needed to walk and breathe in some fresh air.  So I headed down the main path and couldn't believe my eyes when in one of the ponds I spotted a Great Egret.  We get a variety of herons at this park at various times throughout the year but I had never seen a Great Egret here.  I pulled out my phone to document the moment and as I took a photo, I realized two night herons (a parent and juvenile) sat in the tree.  So I captured a video of it all.  The sight of it all made my heart feel a joy I hadn't felt in a couple weeks!

Then I continued on my walk and in came some text messages with photos they had taken from my sister and her kids.  So I continued my walk as we exchanged some stories from the present and the past.

The time and miles just flew by.  Before I knew it, I had walked for over an hour and more than 3 miles.  My spirit lifted and my feet sore, I climbed the stairs to my apartment.  The next piece of self-care is to actually eat something.