Taking care of Me

Why is it that people are perceived as selfish when they are "taking care of themselves"?

Maybe if it is done in a selfish manner, and by putting others needs behind their own, then it can be perceived that way. But sometimes people need to be able to take care of themselves in order to be the best that they can be. By taking a little extra time for ourselves, we are better able to function daily, and better able to care for and spend quality time with the ones we love.

Karen Knowler had a great article in her Ezine today, Successfully Raw, about taking care of yourself. I think that in the world today, somehow, most of us tend to put "us" on the back burner. (I am really enjoying her weekly ezine!)

I know that I am guilty of this. I have had some "down" time recently to recoup from a little corrective day surgery. Maybe this has made me realize that I need more time to take care of me, otherwise, who will be there to take care of everyone else? A little down time can also help you realize what is truly important in life, and it forces you to stop and smell the roses.

Somehow though, the call of the everyday work, kids, homework, school projects, laundry, meals, grocery shopping, housework, planning, etc tend to weigh heavily and limit the time that we have available to take care of us. The Raw Divas Blog has a great article about the benefits of getting enough sleep. This is one of my favorite forms of pampering... that, and a hot bath. I love a nice afternoon nap on a Sunday afternoon, and I love a nice hot, bubble, scent filled bath before bed in the evenings, especially after a long day at work.

In this new year, full of new years resolutions, it is a chance for us to make positive changes to our lives and the lives of those around us by setting good examples for the people we care about. I don’t have a lot of new years resolutions this year, and the ones I have are simple and fulfilling. I will add "taking care of me" to the list, because if I can do that successfully, the rest will fall into place. And of course, eating raw is "taking care of me" ;0)

PS - My smoothie today was the "banana delight smoothie" recipe for the kids, then for my own benefit, I added 4 romaine leaves and some fresh ground ginger to my portion. I am REALLY enjoying the combination! Tried to make Rawdorable's Cinnamon buns for breakfast, but something went TERRIBLY WRONG!!! Have to try that one again! If you haven't checked out her blog, I strongly recommend it!