It was supposed to be fun evening out. Dinner at a fancy restaurant with the family to celebrate the commencement of the holiday season. Conceptually it sounded great. The reality was strangling me—get my mom showered and dressed and ready to go, keep the kids moving, make sure the dog gets out and fed and get myself ready to depart all by 5pm.
OK… I should have started at 1:00, but now it was 3pm. I could do it, except my mom didn’t want to shower. She didn’t want to start to get ready when the departure time was 2 hours away. The kids were trying to decide what to wear from what they had here at the ranch, which was not a lot of dressy clothes. The dog was excited to go out, but not at all interested in achieving the goal of taking care of the necessary details… I could feel my blood pressure rising… Being completely self-centered, I didn’t want to end up at dinner without a shower and freshly blown dry hair and make-up. I wanted to look snappy too…but no one was cooperating.
Then it flashed through my mind—put my own oxygen mask on first, then put the mask on the others. I needed to get myself dressed before I worried about the others. They weren’t cooperating anyway!
Once I was pulled together, it was so much easier to help everyone else! I felt fresh from my shower, I had worked out all the details of my outfit, I was feeling festive instead of stretched! All of us were ready and out the door by, well… ok… it was 5:15… but still in good time for the 45minute drive to the restaurant! (A lovely French bistro in Yountville, Bouchon, highly recommend!).
As you plan for the New Year remember the Flight Attendant Advice: take care of yourself first! Then it will be so much easier to take care of others! It is amazing how you can forget this simple yet profound advice. When I take the time for a JAM session in the morning before I clean the kitchen, it is so much easier to clean it! Because I have already been productive with something for what is a priority for ME. It is so much easier to be in service of others when my own needs are taken care of. As women, we get used to taking care of everyone else and leaving our own needs for last. And as I have discovered, this is a recipe for disaster. We lose ourselves in that formula.
In taking care of yourselves, you are so much better able to take care of others. What does taking care of yourself first look like for you? Are you remembering the foundational priorities? EAT SLEEP EXERCISE. When any of those are out of whack, you suffer. Your energy is drained. You can’t function at your optimal best. When you’re stressed about money, how can you give generously from your heart? It’s really challenging.
As you continue to partake of the holiday season, remember to take time for yourself… a hot bath, an exercise class, a bit of light reading, paint a new picture, whatever it is that you enjoy. You are worth it. You deserve it. You’ve earned it! Happy Holidays!
Alicia
PS: As a holiday gift to me, that will cost you NADA, can you please pass this along to 5 dear friends who you believe will really enjoy this? Thanks a ton! What a lovely holiday gift!