What Do You Do For Yourself?

Early this week it was about 70 degrees at lunchtime, the sun was shining bright and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I had a very short amount of time to grab lunch because of a work errand, so I couldn’t go home, but that was ok knowing Danny would be there to take care of the puppies.

Do you know what I did on that lunch break? I’m sure the picture gives it away - I picked up a little sushi and went to Central Park. It was the perfect day, the perfect light lunch and the perfect way to turn off my mind for a few minutes.

Do you ever do anything special, alone, just for you? For a while there was a mindset going around that all your time should be taken up doing things for other people. If you took care of yourself, you were shortchanging others. If you wanted peace and quiet for 10 minutes, you were being selfish.

I never, ever, for one single moment agreed with that mentality. If I use up everything in my tank, I definitely can’t help anybody else. If I’m exhausted and have to go to bed at 7:00 at night, that’s where the time gets wasted, not when I’m taking a quick lunch break all by myself. And being an introvert, I need that alone time to reset myself mind, body and soul.

So have that special coffee in a booth by yourself. Go get a manicure or a haircut. Sit down in the library and preview a couple of books. Whatever recharges you, do it. Don’t let it lead to neglecting other people or other things, but run away for a bit and recharge. The loved ones you then take care of will be glad you did because they’ll be blessed by your new attitude.

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