If We Had No Winter....

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant"-Anne Bradstreet

The last month, I've made it a goal to "ride the lows."

We all have them- the days and weeks where we just feel like there's nothing left to give.

What I'm learning, is that it is only by embracing these lows can we really be grateful for the highs.

The natural cycles of the moon cause the tides to ebb and flow. Our bodies in their natural state also follow these cycles. Plants bloom and they rest. Why do we think we have to be able to give the very best of ourselves ALL THE TIME?!?!? It's not natural. And, realistically, it's unhealthy.

This week, my schedule has been jam packed. It began last weekend and I will have no reprieve until this Sunday evening. I feel like I am tapped out. I don't have anything left to give anyone else, never mind myself.

What I am CHOOSING to do this week, is to not beat myself up over it. I am choosing to do the best that I can... to set small goals (maintain sanity! no meltdowns!), and to remind myself that I can only do what I can do and that next week will be better.

This week, I am choosing to ride the wave- both the crest AND the fall. I am reminding myself to take care of myself. I'm allowing the tears to fall, but as they fall I am telling myself "it's ok" and I am loving myself through it instead of chastising myself.

Today, I ask you to examine your wave. What do the highs look like and what do you see in the lows? Will you choose to love yourself through the whole process? Will you nurture yourself through the down times so you can shine even brighter during the good times?

Repeat after me, "I choose to move through my hardest days with love and grace."

With love, Elsa

I choose