A self-care reframe

What is your view of self-care? For me, deep down, I set out to remove the effects of tragedy and trauma from my external and internal life. Soon, I discovered that this was not possible. The belief also denied my humanity. Responding to suffering, both my own and that of others, helps me to be a better servant to those in need and a patient when it is myself. 

  My self-care story has changed. Now, I see my self-care practice as a set of dishes. I eat dinner on them and put them in the sink to wash. I am not disposable, like a paper plate designed for one-time use. 

  A dish is made to be used over and over. The key to this is washing the dish after use. For example, on Monday, for dinner, if you ate broccoli and beef, you would eat the dish before you put the breakfast omelet on the plate for breakfast the next morning. That is self-care. Each day, we need to prepare ourselves for service. So, just as I need to wash away excess food, self-care is a continuous practice. Day by Day. What is your understanding of self-care?