Daily Word Prompt – June 23, 2024

How do you practice self-care?

Second day in a row of writing! It may not sound like much but this is a perfect example of practicing self-care. Letting things come out of your brain and maybe even your heart and pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, and let things flow.

Yesterday I mentioned that I spend way too little time outdoors but here it is, late-ish morning in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona and I’m sitting out on the patio with a foldable tray in front of me and my keyboard on top. With this position, I can look out just over my screen and see the lush, green, multicolored privet, a puffy-clouded sky, and I can feel the humidity. It’s 95 degrees already and we’re filling up our inflatable pool. Probably meant for kiddos but I really enjoy it. It’s one of my favorite things to just float in there and look up at the clouds slowly moving across the sky. Turning my head slightly and see the lantana flowers surrounding me. Ah, it’s so peaceful and because my ears are underwater, I just hear myself breathing, in and out, while my body float and sinks with each breath. That’s self-care, I believe, time totally for myself. Anyway, the high today is going to be 105. Sitting out here, I’m definitely started to perspire a bit. I was going to say that I don’t know if it’s that comfortable then thought, hey, I used to pay good money for a gym membership to get a sauna and now, today, I’m getting one for one of my favorite “f” words: Free!

I haven’t listed the multiple ways I can choose from to practice self-care because my mind is already starting to wander but before I let it off the chain, I’ll add a brainstormed list:

Yoga

Gratitude

Medication ha! I meant Meditation

Crossword Puzzles

Jigsaw Puzzles

Spiritual Practice

Prayer

Gratitude

Affirmations

Facial

Massage

Fingers and Toes

A homemade fruit smoothie

Playing piano

Practicing bass

Singing

Ukulele and Guitar

Writing Poetry

….So. Many. Things.

I wonder if there are people who share some things on this list and if jigsaw puzzles is one of those things to practice self-care. I wonder if it’s similar to the feeling someone gets when they’re creating a colorful, sand mandala. It’s a time when I’m not checking things off the to do list and am focused and in one place thinking of one thing but also thinking of nothing really. That’s key, I think, to practicing self care is like when my husband says he just likes to stare off into space. I tried it and I do like it but it means doing something totally for yourself. Like I’m not being productive, contributing, doing, cleaning, fixing, working, being kind to others but you know what? This is a kindness to myself to give myself time to just BE.