The Necessity of Self Care

It's been a rough and emotionally draining week. I haven't taken the time to do much in the way of self-care. I've been like a little hamster on a wheel, working hard not to fall off unaware that, in a way, it was my own feet that were moving me along too fast.

I discovered a new phone app and played with it a bit. I did a few things with it and this morning I spent a little time in my too crowded art room. I sent a long stream of consciousness style email to a friend, puking out most of the week's feelings and events. I created a snail mail card and wrote a note to another friend, sending her a secret she promises not to read. She's going to put it in a piece of her artwork (yes, I trust her). I included for her an old letter written by a service man in Germany to a woman in the states named Maude. I once worked in a place that had a bookkeeper named Maude.

 This is one of the photos I filtered with the new app. It's a drain square on the brick sidewalk where I walk each morning to get to my office. I've said this before, there are other ways I could enter my building. I like going this way because the walk somehow grounds me and prepares me for my day. It's a small sort of ritual. 

This is a group of playing cards I started altering a couple of years ago. I did the backgrounds all at once and I have been adding quotes and reminders on the cards. I have 44 done with about 12 left to go. I was shooting for 52 but I have 12 left without quotes so if I continue, I'll have extra. I'm thinking about picking one card a week and writing about whatever comes up when I see the card. Would any of you like to play along on something like that?

I did this one with a lettering app that offers free graphics every week. We call this plant hen and biddies. My aunt gave me a start, along with a couple of other plants, when I left her house after I finished done with radiation. Years ago, I kept many house plants in our home. Somehow I got out of the habit and it pleases me that these plants are doing so well. They are all in front of one sunny window right now but I hope some day to disperse them throughout the house. After the cancer, there is something poignant about growing and nurturing plants.

Yep, that's my two cents' worth for the day: Stay curious and don't forget to take care of yourself.

PS: I've run this piece of writing through the Hemingway editor website. You put in your writing and it calls you out for various things. I've edited this piece accordingly and now Hemingway editor's only two complaints are that 3 of my sentences are hard to read (suck it up reader, keep up or get left behind) and that I have 1 adverb. Hemingway editor is demanding that I remove it but I already reluctantly (take that, Hemingway editor) remove two adverbs and I don't see how I can remove "emotionally" from the description of my week, although maybe I could/should. What does the writing world have against adverbs (she asked plaintively)? I did not run this last paragraph through Hemingway editor. I don't need my sass to be be edited. Snail mail friend, I trust you implicitly.