(Selfie of me and my husband ❤️)
32 years married in May
This is the first year in 31 years that we have not have one or more children living with us
I can’t say I’m proud of the way I have handled all of my decisions through the years, but I am happy that we have always come back to our “why”
All of the choices we’ve made along the way have brought us to this moment, this time and I can't imagine my life being any other way
We’ve raised 3 children who are now adults. I appreciate the wisdom that comes with age as sometimes, I feel that being parents of adults has a set of different challenges as compared to raising young children
I try to step out of the way as they spread their wings and make their own decisions
I wonder if they will be close as they continue to grow and as they navigate who they are and where their hearts take them
I know that I cannot control their fate or mine, but it’s still hard to let it unfold as it is meant to unfold without me holding the reins
As we have gotten older, I find that I have changed and am not who I was at 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and now, 55. I have to continually meet myself where I am again and again, honoring the person I have been and who I am. Loving myself and my partner along the way while knowing he is also a new person every time I see him.
How do we love ourselves as we align with what lights us on fire, as we navigate the turmoil around us in our country(we live in the United States), and bring our dreams into reality?
It’s a question I ask myself all of the time. I don’t have the answers but things I am trying include going inward and getting to know myself better, knowing what I need and asking for help or support. Giving my partner support and holding space knowing that he’s also navigating his own journey. I acknowledge that little girl who was hurt and tried so hard to parent her own parents, and I give her love. I let her know she is going to be okay even though she felt so alone. I let her know she doesn’t have to do it all by herself.
Practicing meditation and yoga and reading are helpful. It gives me the space to expand and shine my light a little brighter knowing that I am not “too much.” I am allowing my practice to just be without forcing it to be social media picture-perfect.
I am trying to show up here a little more personally, and the photo here is the first personal photo I’ve shared since I’ve been on Substack now for over 2 years. I usually use stock photos, so this one feels so vulnerable.
I’ve shared a lot of how-to’s and exercises over the last 2 years, and I’ll continue to do that, but this post today, was coming through and asking to be shared. I hope you don’t mind the deviation.
My invitation in sharing this today is to ask you how are loving yourself these days? How are you reckoning with what’s going on at home and all over the world? How do you create nervous system safety, regulation and resilience with your daily rituals?
Take good care,
Sharon
PS. If you’d like to revisit some older posts, here are some links!
Self care as a radical act
In an earlier Post, Breathing, back pain, and self care, there’s a list of self care activities I offered. Here they are for review:
Rewild yourself
Exploring our outer world, a journey of nature and our surroundings, is also a journey of our inner world. When we explore our natural surroundings, we come home to ourselves and remember what we are here to do and who we are at our at our core. Two ways of exploring our inner and outer worlds is to practice rewilding and…
What a beautiful couple! Those are my parents :)
This post really resonated with me today. We too (my husband and I) are navigating a new normal in our life with our only son finishing up his freshman year of college away from home. At first, I was trying to busy myself with this newfound freedom of me time. Lately I have been trying to slow time down, REST, and be selective about what and who I let in our space. I want to be do doing something meaningful and not out here trying to control the external forces in our society that can be overwhelming. It’s important to recognize and love yourself in whatever space you are occupying. I love your post today! Keep inspiring! Keep doing what you do! It’s very helpful in many ways. Be Blessed Sharon!