Engage in good health practices … CARE

I've taken myself to Lincoln Park for a walk. My new winter walking gear includes those mini-leg warmers made by cutting the toes off a pair of thick woolen socks. They pull up over my knees to keep them warm and supported. The walking stick I found last Fall has been polished smooth where my right hand grips and rubs up and down the top notched curve. Movement is important and movement in the sunshine is a twin hit of caring for this dear self.

I've come to see my friend the walking stick as an o`o ... a tool, a planting tool perfect for poking holes into loamy earth. I consider the basic life tool for the day: Engage in good health practices ... CARE and see these four seeds planted for my future wellness.

C for COMPASSION. Treating myself with understanding and compassion, I release the need to compare my abilities today with those of years past. Today is all I have, all that matters. What I am today is good enough. There are days when the most loving compassionate thing I can do for my self is to rest, not go anywhere. Resting is a compassionate activity, I can hear Kay my counselor's voice telling me that. Thanks Kay.

A for APPRECIATE. I remember to appreciate, be in love with all the people in my life who support me on my journey. I name them out-loud and see them in my mind's eye, then I let them into my heart. "I appreciate Pete. I appreciate Christopher. I appreciate Turtle Woman. I appreciate Joel. I appreciate Lois. I appreciate ... one by one my heart fills up and over." That's how it works.

R for REACH-OUT. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to ask for help, it's difficult to acknowledge that I just might be broken and need someone to do for me what I cannot do for myself. "Could you reach that bottle on that shelf for me?" On some days not only is a bottle out of my reach, I might not be able to balance well enough to trust I could hold that bottle if I got it. Ever had one of those days?

E for ENOUGH. Being is different from doing, and yet it's the doing that gets so much of the human attention. With the experiences I have living and recovering from the effects of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, knowing when enough is enough can be the best health practice of them all.

I hope these four seeds of C.A.R.E. offer you some food for your well-being Makua O`o.

Be well, hope you had some fun today, and if not yet, there's still time!

Cheers, Mokihana