I have always found my soul rejuvenated when I am in the presence of those who truly care about me. I journey through life and I’m touched by the many people that I am honored with whom to have interactions. I have many people that I care about, many people who I would help in any way that I can at any given moment in time. But there are very few people that can fill up my soul like my very good friends. There is some thing about time spent with these individuals that help me to fill up that pitcher of kindness that I often poor from to care for others.
There is much to be said about a friendship where you can be yourself. Were you can spend a day laughing , crying and just being yourself and not have to worry about whether or not you’re behaving like a lady or even proper. As I am such a boisterous and outgoing person, many would presume that I share my most intimate thoughts with just about everyone, but I do not. Often times I settle into my soul only to sew those deep thoughts into myself. But there come times when those stitches are so closely knit together that I find I can hardly breathe any longer. These emotional threads need to be loosened, and it is then I can only rely on this close circle of support to help me to break the stitches and allow myself to breathe again.
Self-care can be far more important to one’s well-being than just about any other type of care. Very few of us are taught that it is OK to look out for ourselves. Many of us have been raised – whether it be through religion or upbringing, raised to believe that we must always put everyone else first and only attend to ourselves when we are ill or quite beyond the point of normal. However I would advocate that keeping yourself tuned up is far superior to waiting until you are falling apart. Self-care is knowing what you need, when you need it, and how to ask for it.
Self-care is allowing yourself to escape from the mundane pressures of every day life. The ones that often wear down on your soul so that it becomes like a hole in your sock that you didn’t even notice was there and then suddenly is irreparable. But once you have accomplished it, it is a soul freeing, emotions soaring blissful feeling that many who know you will only recognize in your face. They will recognize your freedom, the release of pressure. Taking care of you is OK. And asking those that you truly trust to help you take care of you is OK too.
I recently fled to the mountains with some close friends for some much needed re-stitching and rekindling. Little did I know how all of our souls needed this time. And while there are those who may look upon us as being inconsiderate or selfish leaving children and families behind… Missing sporting events and holiday celebrations. I would argue that attending such events when you are not fully present doesn’t help anyone. You can only be the best for someone else when you are your best self. As I reflect on this weekend of restitching of our souls, I am profoundly grateful for those that notice my threads that need mending, my thoughts that need freeing, my heart that needs space.
Life is never an easy ride. We can look at it and find all the thorns and broken bramble. We can choose to ride through it as though on a spooked horse heading for a cliff. Or we can grab hold of the reins, tighten our grip and laugh in the process. To do anything else is guaranteed to make you miserable. So I will continue to mend my soul, till my garden of friends, and keep my sanity.
Keeping (in)Sanity 