Recently required to take
A labyrinth workshop
A precursor to my future
Facilitator post
I was tasked to define
Rest
Regenerate
Renew
Required? You ask
Yes, apparently required
is what it takes to get this girl
Woman, elder
To
Slow down
And breathe
Struggling to discern
My self-care routines
into categories
Nuances confusing me
Rest
Regenerate
Renew
But isn’t Renew and
Regenerate the same
I asked?
The student in me
Sucking
the joy
Out of reflection
Accountable to a habit tracker
My Dailies I call them
Serve as gentle reminders to
Care for
Myself
my loves and
Others
Pray Meditate Gratitude Walking the labyrinth
Exercise Eat Well Stretch Read/Learn Watercolor
Hold Space Give Love Get Curious Observe Ego Practice non-judgment
At my age I have time for
These rituals
With patience and a little more
Wisdom and Self-awareness
Sprinkled in
comes
growth
The clichéd mind-body-spirit
Seems to be spot on
While Rest feeds my spirit
Quieting
The
Mind
Is the start
Walking the labyrinth
Prayer and meditation
Expressing gratitude
Require being full of thought and yet no thought
My mind
Getting clear
Getting quiet
These practices get me ready to
Regenerate including
care for my physical self
And allowing space for some fun
Exercise
Eating well
Stretching
Practicing my watercolor
Reading and learning
These fun-to-me activities
Help me feel renewed for the people in my life
Holding space
Getting curious
Giving love
Because without rest and regeneration
I’m not fully capable of showing up
As my True Self
where observing the Ego and
practicing
non-judgment
Can be included
The student in me, clearly
Took this assignment to heart
(And body and mind)
but then realized none of this
analysis
really
matters
The workshop facilitator wanted us
To reflect on how we take
care of ourselves
THAT we take care of ourselves
Rest - Mind
Regenerate - Body
Renew - Spirit
Rest and regeneration
Lead to renewal where
your Spirit can shine and like
Lizzo says, If I’m shining
Everybody’s
Gonna
Shine
No matter how you define them
It is now your turn to reflect
Do not let semantics
Trip you up, as it did me
Rest
Regenerate
Renew
What does this look like?
What needs more attention?
You don’t need a required workshop
To take stock of your practices
Or
Maybe
You do
If so, take the time you need
Collectively we must self-care
Because when you care for yourself
you care for the world
And we all know
It needs
Some caring now