Christmas Musings

Today I have to do a speed workout and yes, I will be doing it at the gym, on the treadmill...but I haven't left yet, because I am waiting with great excitement for my oldest son to come home from the Christmas breakfast at school with his big report card. I just can't wait to see how he did during the first big exam period.

So while I have been waiting I have been checking out everyone's blogs and reading email and I got this great newsletter from Dan Joseph (http://www.danjoseph.com/) a spiritual writer whose newsletter I just love. He was talking about the holidays being a time of giving and how we can relate that to self-care, which seems so appropriate because I have been struck lately by how hard it is sometimes, especially during stressful times like right now, to take good care of ourselves. It seems like everything else takes priority over that, especially because we are supposed to be giving at this time of year more than anytime else. Here is what Dan had to say about this:

...the holiday season is usually a time of great giving. People are encouraged to engage in acts of generosity, kindness, and goodwill toward others. This giving to others is, of course, a beautiful thing. But it needs to be balanced with equal amounts of self-care.
This holiday season, I encourage you to "work your weaknesses." If you have difficulty giving to others, then by all means engage in acts of outward kindness. There are endless amounts of people who could use your love and support.
However, if you find it natural to give to others, I encourage you to turn the tables and give to yourself. This is still giving; it is an equally beautiful and important thing. Give yourself the gift of kind thoughts and soothing self-talk. Allow yourself to appreciate some of the beautiful qualities of your soul. Treat yourself with gentleness. As you do this, you will probably find that a wonderful thing occurs: not only will you feel happier, but you'll have more love to share with others. What you give, you strengthen. This is true whether you're giving to others or to yourself.
What a beautiful system! The more kindness we give to others, the more we have for ourselves – and the more we give to ourselves, the more we have for others. There is no conflict between self-care and care for others; each side supports the other. And both are equally important.

Just some food for thought...

Be good to yourself today!

I'll update later about my run!