You know what term gets thrown around a lot? Self care. It seems like I hear it all the time lately and I’m glad because it’s important to take care of yourself. Certainly no one else will do that one for you. I’ve been thinking about how I can demonstrate self care. I don’t want it to be about manicures or massages, I don’t want it to involve shopping or lunch with a friend, and I don’t want to count reading or knitting since those are things I do all the time anyway.

I want self care to be about . . . self improvement. I want it to be about thoughts and feelings and growth. I’ve grouped my ideas into actions and I’ve come up with . . . wait for it . . . three verbs to remind me of my goals and help me with my progress.

I vow to do more . . .

Listening. I will listen to myself and trust myself to do something that feels right and, by the same token, to not do something that feels off. I will listen to the people I love, Dale and the kids and Jackie (his little voice is so cute right now and he actually says Nana and Grandpa now). I will listen to my colleagues at work and on the Board of Selectmen. I will listen to people I agree with and people I don’t agree with, I will listen to people who have vastly different life experiences from me and I will use listening to improve my understanding.

Writing. I will write my story in a way that is authentic. I will write about things that have been difficult and things that have brought me joy. I will write to understand and reflect because writing helps me to process my feelings. I will write for you here on the blog and I will write privately in my journal. I will write long paragraphs and lists and quotes and nonsense. I will write to increase my creativity and I will write because all kinds of ideas are born and feelings are resolved when I put words on paper.

Pausing. I will pause to consider my options. I will pause to give myself time to think before I respond. I will pause to be still and be present. I will pause for gratitude and contemplation. I will pause and concentrate on breathing. I will pause to allow myself to rest, to think about possibilities and options, to make room for ideas and new concepts. I will pause to give myself time to consciously respond and by doing so I will access my intuition and increase my wisdom.

I’ve got to admit this post is pretty out there with the woo woo stuff. But guess what? That makes me love it all the more!

If you wrote a post for today (and I hope you did!) please include your link below.

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my blog anniversary! I have to say, I’m feeling a little lame today since after 14 years of blogging I can’t come up with three things that go together for Three On Thursday. Or maybe it’s because of 14 years of blogging. Yep. That must be it. In any case, today is a random three-fer.

1. As part of my daily tasks at the library I catalog the magazines we receive. I enjoy doing this because I like to see the pretty covers and I like having the chance to flip through and see what the latest celebrity gossip is (People), the newest fashion (Vogue), and the best home ideas (Good Housekeeping). One thing that makes me absolutely crazy though? There is zero consistency among magazines as to where they put the publication information. And I need that information in order to enter the magazine into our software. Some magazines put it on the spine. Some put it on the cover. Some put it on the title page. Some put it on the back page. Some (I’m looking at you, Men’s Health) put it somewhere different every.single.month. Should I ever rule the world you can bet that consistent publication information for magazines is going to be at the top of the list of things I make happen.
2. I’m thinking about Super Bowl food. Our living room is small so we’re only having Doreen & Mark and Jo-Ann & Shawn over for the game which means I don’t need a ton of food but still . . . it’s the Super Bowl and the Pats are playing. (I know. You hate us.) The plan is to gather in the afternoon for pregame snacking and drinking so most of the food we eat will be before the game even starts. I’m thinking these chicken wings for snacking and then venison chili with corn bread for . . . dinner . . . except it’s not really dinner but you know what I mean. I’m open to suggestions, though, if you can think of something fab I should be making.
3. I am so happy that today is the last day of January because man alive but this month feels like it has lasted forever. You would think it would feel like it passed quickly since we had holidays and a long weekend but I think it’s just such a letdown after Christmas and it’s cold (super cold today although not as extreme for us as other places!) and I’m ready for spring. I know that’s ridiculous but it’s true. Actually, it’s not true at all. If I’m being completely honest I’d just as soon skip spring and go right to summer. You know those lovely June days that are warm and the evening seems to last forever? Yeah. Let’s do that now. No? Okay then I’ll just look forward to February. There’s vacation (I don’t know yet where we are going but it will be a short-ish local-ish getaway) and there’s Valentine’s Day and at the absolute end of the month I’m heading to New York City with Jo-Ann to see Hamilton. So yeah. Buh bye January and helllllllo February.

And that’s my random thoughts for this week. If you wrote a post for today please include your link below and thanks for joining in!

Remember the picture from last Friday? The one of Jackie in the swing? Well hold on to your hats because today I’ve got three (surprise, surprise . . . it’s Thursday) more.

I call this one: “Hey lady! Stop taking pictures and give me a push!”

And I call this one: Swinging is my favorite.

And finally, I call this one: what happened to that little baby.

When I say he brings us joy every day I’m not kidding.

If you wrote a post for today please include your link below. And thanks for joining in!

It’s Thanksgiving here in the United States so I’m going to make this a very brief Three On Thursday.

A pretty picture.

And three quotes that sum up how I feel about gratitude and giving thanks.

I am grateful for what I have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. ~Henry David Thoreau

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John F. Kennedy

This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before. ~ Maya Angelou

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

I’ve included the link up in case anyone is actually blogging today . . . and now I’m taking the rest of the week off. I’ll catch up with you on Monday!