Taking Care Of Self

Self-love is the road toward healing. These prompts are an invitation to step inside yourself. Rupi Kaur

Self-care is so important. My first sponsor in recovery at age 24 asked me to sell Avon. I didn't know it at the time but that was her attempt to get me to take better care of me. She said, to sell the product it will be important for you to use the product.

Selling Avon was for a short time in my life as I moved once I built up the area. And she was right, people did buy what I wore. Even when I would wear blue eye shadow!

My next sponsor heard about the Avon thing and suggested making a few extra dollars while I was in college by selling Mary Kay. Again, she reminded me that I would sell more products if I used it. Today I think how obvious it was to two women that I wasn't taking care of myself.

In my 46 years since that time, I haven't heard anyone else talk about this being suggested to them. The other part of this was the good feelings others got from the parties and the product. That helped me probably even more than the product.

Rupi Kaur's Self-Love Writing Prompts - How is the 2:00 p.m. version of you different from the 2:00 a.m. version of you?

At 2:00 a.m. I am fast asleep and have been for several hours. Four hours on many nights. At 2:00 p.m. I am in the middle of something, usually with family or friends. Reading or writing, although most days my writing is done in the morning.

When I have morning commitments, usually once a week, I will write in the afternoon around 2:00 p.m.

The only time I have been up during the night is when a loved one is ill or in the hospital. Then I have been up at wakes. In my culture, a wake can last for days. Some will sit with the deceased person through the night and I did that with my mother and sister.

Rupi Kaur's Self-Love Writing Prompts - What compliments do you shy away from? How can you open yourself up to accepting more compliments?

I look at friend requests that come after I have discarded their request. They are sometimes written when I am tagged on other's information, sometimes they are responding to a comment I placed when reviewing a business.

Compliments I do not mind from strangers, however, I am not going to friend someone I don't know or that may be a scammer. At my age, too many beautiful compliments are suspect! It doesn't seem to matter that I am married and happy.

Maybe my vulnerability is showing during this political season. JK

On the other hand, I am not always comfortable with compliments. I learned a long time ago now though that not accepting a compliment is like a slap in the face to the person giving the compliment.

Maybe not as harsh as a slap, but still making a statement that they don't know what they are talking about and are wrong.

Rupi Kaur's Self-Love Writing Prompts - If I could make one difference in the world, I would ______________.

Living in farm country has made it possible for me to get more in touch with what happens with plants that are fed to animals that we then consume or even food grown for human consumption.

I used to be concerned about living in the city with the trucking business close by with trucks burning diesel fuel much of the night in my neighborhood, and the huge powerlines that were close to my block. Then people all around me spraying their lawns to get rid of dandelions.

Then all the fumes while driving to work, twice a day. I couldn't wait to get out of the city.

Now that I live in farm country I realize that the harvest season for a crop may start with killing the existing plants, planting a crop, halfway through the season killing the weeds, and right before the crop is harvested the crop is sprayed again.

The spray is something I get contacted about regularly from lawyers' offices. There is a settlement for people who have had the same cancer I had. And the blame goes to the chemicals being sprayed all around me. Not on our field but all others in the neighborhood.

When we moved in our mail lady was recovering from the same cancer as I was diagnosed with shortly after moving in. Neighbors have died from unusual cancers, lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis.

The farmer told us that no one else ever complained. This was said sometime after my brother-in-law allowed a crop planted on the land we live on and that he owned in common with my husband. This was decided by the brother-in-law and the farmer.

As he was spraying the field to kill the hay, I left home for a week. When I returned it was important to use the air purifier machines we purchased for our home. To increase the number of plants in our house that take the toxins out of the air. And to start using the salt lamp my son gave me.

After that one crop, we went back to the usual hay field. The chemicals stay in the ground for 5 years. I stopped riding 4 wheeler regularly, motorcycle in the neighborhood and walking outside. So much for my excitement about moving up north to the country.

If I could I would change this!