Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day...To Me

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
Buddha (563-483 BC)

I know, an odd start to a holiday when you are supposed to show your love to others (which technically I disagree with because you should show your love to others all year long, not just one pressure-laden day. But I digress).

But guess what?

It starts with yourself.

You know the old airline safety video advice: place your own oxygen mask on before assisting others.

I was at a restorative yoga class on Wednesday, and, of course, my mind was wandering as we did asanas; it occurred to me that I rarely, if ever, do something that is purely and truly for me, good for me in a real way (as opposed to going out for frozen yogurt  by myself or watching Top Chef online when no one is home). I thought about this for awhile, then my mind wandered further (which it is not supposed to do; I was supposed to be focusing on my breath, but this sort of thing takes lots of practice, which I am getting to), and I thought about changes I can make that are loving and respectful of what I need as a human being, not as a teacher or a partner or a parent, but as the foundational human being that supports all of those roles.

So I pulled my mind back to my breath. And it wandered away again as I thought about writing this blog for Valentine's Day. And then I pulled it back. And then I realized.

There are yoga studios in Marietta. A bunch of them.

And they have all kinds of yoga classes.

And I am a better human when I do yoga regularly.

And this is a loving gift I can give to myself that actually benefits everyone in the long run.

So Happy Valentine's Day to me; when I get back to Marietta from grannysitting in PA, I am going to get myself a class card and get to yoga. It's time.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and all of your loved ones. Be kind today, and then all of the other 364 days.

(I may also pick up a discounted box of Valentine's Day chocolate, but chocolate is good for you, too, right?)

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