"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." This extremely grammatically incorrect, yet poignant affirmation reminded the little girl in the movie "The Help" that she was someone special. Sometimes as women wearing all the many hats we wear everyday, we need that same reassurance. Yes, it feels good to know that we are special and important to those around us, but it is even more gratifying to know that we are important to ourselves. Now, this isn't a post just to stroke egos, just a little affirmation.
Being friends, daughters, wives, moms and just women in general, we have an overwhelming need to "help" everyone and "fix" everything. Well, that's all good and well, but if you spent all of you time helping and fixing everyone and everything YOU become helpless and broken. "How do you know that?". I'm glad you asked! Just last week I found myself in the emergency room. I thought something serious had happened to me. I felt awful. When the doctor came in to speak with me the diagnosis was astounding. Stress. Huh? Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that the feeling of my body doing a complete shutdown is stress? Well, I be damned. All of this happened to me because I was trying to be it all, do it all. I had been caring for my two young daughters all summer with no break. I was trying to be that awesome wife to my husband. I was trying to be a great daughter to my dad. I was trying to rebuild a relationship with my mom. Lastly, I was trying to save my 18 year old sister from herself. While I was trying to be all of these things to everyone else, I forgot to be important to myself. I was not being kind to myself. I wasn't being smart.
Being kind to yourself means you have to give yourself grace when you mess up. Your kids are hungry, you stop for Burger King. That doesn't make you out to be a terrible mom. "The kids ate Burger King, they won't starve." Being smart with yourself means you pay attention to your physical, mental and emotional states. If you had a long and stressful day, the laundry can wait. The laundry basket won't sprout legs and run amuck through your house. And lastly, being important to yourself is realizing you ARE a lot of things to a lot of people. So, pace yourself, take care of yourself and be around for everyone and everything that you hold dear. Because what good are you to all of these people if you're gone?
I usually end my post with "Be kind and kindness will find you." But, today I end with this; Be kind to yourself to be around to share kindness. Until next time!
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