Taking care of your self

What do you think when people say, "Take care of yourself" after they run into you at a cafe or a bookstore? I've always thought it was lame. It feels good to hear it but what the hell does that mean anyways? Jesus told us to take care of other people, not ourselves. Remember, we're supposed to die to ourselves and let Christ reign in us? So if you are going through a really hard time, you know that that's when God is most evident in your life.

What a load of crap. I believed it for so long and kept wondering, why am I so depressed all the time? Why does my life feel so hard? Needless to say, I was not a pleasure to be around.

I'd woken up, and for the last year, I was determined to take care of my self. But honestly, I had no idea what that meant. I wondered if it meant indulging my foodie self by eating out at nice restaurants. Or doing the occasional splurge shopping trip and letting my fashionista self go crazy with the credit card. Or did it mean relieving my repressed sexual self with forbidden trists and rendez-vous?

Last night, I met with a friend and she treated me to homemade apple pie and soy au lait at a local cafe. It was raining and dark outside. This friend is very good at taking care of her self. She is full of life, energy, joy, and incredibly pleasant to be around. I told her, "I have no idea how to take care of my self, and it's time for me to learn. I can't keep inflicting myself or other people with my unkept life any longer! How do you do it?"

It was quite simple. She said, "Look at your life and see what gives you joy. Then keep doing that thing and make sure you do it every week."

I can do that.

Here is a starter list of things that give me joy:
yoga
cooking and feeding other people
centering prayer
veganism (this one is so hard to do)
traveling
reading
writing
studying
growing green things out of seeds
writing letters
making things with my hands (like painting, sewing, cards, flower arrangements, etc.)
hiking, being in nature
seeing good friends
living in a pretty place
trying new things
meeting new people
singing and making music

I'll start with two today. Eating with good friends and singing a song.