Balancing Acts

The universe takes and gives everything you didn’t know you needed. These prompts are an invitation to step inside yourself and explore what balance means to you. Rupi Kaur

Every day is a fresh start! So it is. Balance to me means balancing self-care with care for others.

I learned many years ago that what I give away comes back to me tenfold. Now, I am not talking money. But maybe. Different philosophies and religious materials refer to the idea of giving to others and giving back for what we receive.

In early recovery, my first sponsor asked that I sell Avon as a way to bring in a little extra money and as a way to take better care of myself. Her idea was that I would need to use the product to sell the product. That appeared to be true as the more product I wore the more I sold.

Then she said, looking better often helps us to feel better and when we feel better we give that feeling away without even knowing it.

I only lived there for two more years as I left my husband. My next sponsor owned a Merle Norman cosmetic business in the town I moved to. I was talking about having gone to a Mary Kay facial recently when she asked me to consider selling Mary Kay.

She said it was important for me to take care of myself. I was so used to taking care of everyone else. I was the oldest of 6 siblings in an alcoholic family, and my husband was an alcoholic.

She then said, I could care for others with skincare and cosmetics and it would help me to better care for myself. I wore skirts or dresses, used skin care, and wore cosmetics. I had already learned to wear the product to sell the product with Avon.

Women feel better when they have good skin care she said. I figured she knew as she sold cosmetics. She was right, I did well and felt better and looked better.

Both sponsors knew I needed something a little extra. I haven’t heard anyone else say that they were encouraged to do this in their recovery. And I noticed most women feel better after a facial. Even those that didn’t add makeup. That was okay with me and they still appeared to feel better.

Rupi Kaur’s Balance Writing Prompts — My self-care goals in the coming months are ________________.

To go to a neighboring massage business to have a far infrared sauna and a foot soak to remove toxins. And to schedule a massage.

To set a nail appointment to have my nails done. Both hands and feet.

To continue my daily ritual of greeting the sunrise each morning through November.

Walk and lift small weights 3–6 days a week.

Rupi Kaur’s Balance Writing Prompts — How can you incorporate more fun into your life?

Fun? How can I have more fun than I already do? JK

Play more, and work less. My husband always has so much to do on our property and with our equipment and he loves it. He says regularly that he is living his dream. He works for no one except for himself and me.

The work I do, I choose to do. It could be less.

I could commit to going to more movies. Sticking with a date night every week without fail. Finding some old people things to do. i.e. A regular card game with friends? Pickleball? Having my daughter’s family over for a meal more often or inviting friends?

Rupi Kaur’s Balance Writing Prompts — What steps can you take to reduce burnout?

Years ago I was in a women’s group and we were asked to make two signs that we could read daily. We were to put them in two places we would see every day. Mine went on my bathroom mirror and my refrigerator. The signs said, “I deserve to be happy!”

One of the women asked how long we needed to read the signs. We were told we needed to read the signs until we believed them. My first introduction to positive affirmations. It took me 6 months of reading the signs daily to believe the message.

I haven’t had burnout in many years, and because of this belief, I don’t allow burnout.

~~~~

First published by Mercury Press on medium.com