Self-Care Sign In – 18

I’d like to say that we’re heading into “true fall” here, but fall is a fickle thing in the Carolinas in September. However, we’ve had a few days that make you realize that cooler temps are coming – it’s a wonderful time of the year. Cool enough to consider making soup, but warm enough to put the top down on the convertible. (Yes, Kitty is not a particularly practical car – although I have gotten an 8-foot Christmas tree in the back seat – but there are only a handful of days when a ragtop is a bad idea around here and every Diva deserves a few indulgences. Kitty is mine.) Self-care begins to look different with the change of the seasons, as well.

Since last we spoke, self-care has looked a bit like this:

• I made time to paint and to make plans for getting some fresh work out “into the world.” It’s a scary proposition to make myself that vulnerable, but I’ve never regretted doing that. You learn a lot about people – including yourself – that way.
• I’ve tried some new foods. Some of which were incredibly generous gifts (cherry-fig jam!) and others that were stretching me out of my own comfort zone, like giouvarlakia (a Greek soup with tiny rice-studded meatballs in a egg-lemon-broth base) and tonight’s “clean out the fridge” vegetable soup.
• I bought the world’s cutest cookie-and-milk mug. Made by a local ceramics artist, the milk goes in the shallow top and the opening in the lower part stores your cookie.
• I spent enough time on my appearance to garner compliments from a tough audience.
• I made sure to combine fun with work, resulting in discovering the charming town of Hendersonville (the picture at the top of this post is from my wanderings after the work part of that day was completed.)
• I tore out most of the crabgrass that was threatening to overtake my back flower beds and allowed myself to dream about spring flowers, summer herb beds, and luscious home-grown vegetables next year.
• When given a chance to carve out time to spend with good friends, I didn’t say I was “too busy.

That’s a good week!

Balance is hard – VERY hard. And the world will always place demands on that most precious of resources – time. Be sure you’re not surrendering that previous, unrenewable resource lightly. Take care of yourself – every day, in ways both large and small. And you will have the energy to go out and do the hard Work that is demanded of you.

Spread joy, Divas!