I’ve recently had some interesting conversations on the topic of self care.
We are exposed to a myriad of ideas about what self care should look like, why we should do it, where we can buy it.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking, though. What if WHAT I do isn’t the important thing? Maybe the important thing is consistency. I’m not thinking about people who run miles every day with the sun. I’m thinking about the older women I’ve seen in Italian villages who walk up and down steep hills doing their daily chores. I imagine them not monitoring their steps or their speed, but sticking with their ritual week after week, year after year.
Perhaps consistency is on my mind because I’ve just turned my day-to-day upside down. I’m in a different country, different home, different time zone, less square footage so less privacy.
The first week is a particularly vulnerable time. Jet lag, unpacking, newness everywhere. To be honest, the disruption started in the weeks before travel too.
So, this is my promise to myself. Remember the things that were working well and adapt the circumstances to those things. Find a new corner and meditate. Write the morning pages. Move the body. Do it in the morning.