Ironically enough, I’m writing this as I have a little post-lunch munchies. *reaches for a granola bar* (Baruch ata “, borei minei mezonot for those of you playing along at home.)
I got to work 20 minutes early this morning, after running out of time to finish getting ready before I left home an hour earlier. So I painted my nails a shiny hot pink – a bold and unexpected color choice for me… still not sure if I like it yet.
My hair was down for the first half of the day, washed, airdryed and combed. It now rests in a soft, loose ponytail rather than in a tightly-wound still wet from my morning shower bun or hair claw.
I’m wearing a very cute new navy blue carigan with flowers on the lapel, a new ruffled tank top, and new brown peep toe flats. I bought these randomly on Tuesday night because, well, I thought they were all cute and I wanted them.
For breakfast I at a hardboiled egg I had made before I went to bed. For lunch, leftover Japanese curry my husband made for dinner last night and a salad with homemade Asian vinaigrette (mirin, rice vinegar, light and hot sesame oils, soy sauce, and black sesame seeds). And rasberries and vanilla Greek yogurt.
Right now? 15 minutes to myself at work to just breathe, write this post, and maybe take 5 minutes to walk outside and get some fresh air.
Tonight: dinner with friends at a new restaurant nearby and then back to work for 2 hours for an RA program. I’m looking forward to my commute home much later this evening so I can listen to the second chapter of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Sunday: a haircut and style for $29 at a Newbury Street salon because my husband so thoughtfully passed on a Groupon deal to me and said, “You should buy this and treat yourself. You deserve it.”
He’s right: I do deserve it. Sometimes it’s just good to be a little selfish, take a little me-time, and treat yourself once in a while. It’s so easy to keep putting off that me time and say, “I don’t have time for that now. I have more important things.” Well, I’m important too. If I don’t take this time, then it’ll be gone before I know it.
I’ve been making more of a commitment to both eat healthier and save some money by bringing healthy, filling lunches from home. If it means taking 20 minutes the night before to put it together, it’s worth it the next day when I feed myself good things and don’t break the bank by ordering pizza again.
It’s about nourishing myself: not just body, but spirit. I said to Larry last night how I felt weird about my new suburban routine: get up nearly 2 hours earlier than I used to, shower, get dressed, have an hour commute to work, work all day, hour commute home, take a little time for myself, eat dinner, make my lunch for the next day, clean the kitchen, straighten up, check the weatehr and lay out next day’s clothes, relax for a bit, bed. Get up at 6:30am, lather, rinse, repeat.
So if I take a few minutes to primp myself (haven’t gotten to full on makeup before work… still not THAT motivated) or finally start using our Audible credits and listening to audiobooks on my commute to/from work, or even splurge on a couple of new clothes and some nail polish – all of this just to break up this new monotony, well, there it is. I’m doin’ it.
What on earth does this have to do with infertility?
Take 5 minutes for yourself. Paint your nails. Make yourself a nice lunch. Give yourself a foot soak in the tub and lotion your feet afterward. Buy that cute top. Get up from your desk at work and go for a 5 minute walk outside. Nourish yourself.
I’ll say it again: nourish yourself. Savor the feeling of doing something good for yourself, even if it’s just 5 minutes in a busy day or an hour in a busy week. We can get so bogged down in all the craziness of treatment and homestudies and lawyers and needles and dumb FB posts from friends and disappointment and blood tests and waiting and loss of control that well…
It’s enough to drive you crazy.
So nourish yourself. Feed your spirit.
It’ll be that spirit that carries you along the next step in your journey, that pulls you up from the dark places, that dusts off your shoulders and says, “Alright, let’s do this.”
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Haven't quite managed to actually do so much for nourishing myself, but I'm working on it.
You sound so at peace, I'm a bit jealous 😉
That was nice of your hubby. 🙂
Also, we hope to pursue adoption in the next 3 or so years as well. Can't wait for the day!
iclw
I think this is one of my favourite entries. Lovely. And a wonderful reminder for all of us.
I love this idea! I think that taking care of our mental and emotional well-being gets a little lost when we are so focused on the physical side of our IF or just the day-to-day needs of life.
I think I'm going to make a couple spa appointments for myself during this stressful first IVF cycle!
Happy ICLW!
~ #54
Great list and great reminder. I know I find myself forgetting me more often than not and I can't keep doing that.
And I have to admit I love the idea of hot pink nail polish, but I'd be scared to do it!
ICLW
Nice list and a great reminder. We sometimes get too wrapped up in things to think about ourselves!
Happy ICLW!
Thank you for reminding us all to stop and feed ourselves, both physically and emotionally.
BTW, your lunch sounded super yummy!
It is so easy to forget to nourish yourself when there always seems to be something that needs doing. Thanks for the timely reminder.
Thank you for the reminder – we all need to take the time to nourish ourselves. I went a whole year without buying any new clothes because I thought I wouldn't need them because I would be in maternity clothes. Can't put your life on hold for IF. Go out and buy the cute new sweater!