For this Monday Extra, I invite you to consider some way, large or small, in which you will take care of yourself. Will you meet a friend for lunch? Schedule a massage? Allot a day for spiritual renewal? Delegate home tasks to another family member? Pull a sustainable sermon from the well?
Whatever it might be, make a pledge to yourself and your RevGalBlogPals, right here in the comments. I'll post this at the Facebook group, too. And I'll be back in December to ask how it's going.
I look forward to these comments since I offered to do a devotion at our next Ministerial meeting (last Tuesday of Nov) focussed on dealing with the bustle of December
ReplyDeleteOkay, Gord. But what's your self-care strategy? (She said without stating one of her own.)
DeleteSimply put - I schedule in a haircut and pedicure for early December, and then a repeat pedicure on Christmas Eve. Sounds crazy, but that 45 minutes is a isle of sanity. I did it last year thinking "I don't have time!!! for this!!!" But I did. Lesson learned. A relaxed preacher is a more coherent preacher. :)
ReplyDeleteNice.
DeleteThis is inspiring, Deb. I'm going to call the Aveda school a few blocks away and schedule manicures on work days from now through the end of December. They only cost a little and I'll look and feel much better. I might spread things out a bit too. My husband writes one or two cards a day for several weeks. Maybe this year I'll follow his lead!
ReplyDeleteGreat use of inspiration!
DeleteI pledge to take care of myself this holiday season!!
ReplyDeleteGo, Margaret! Make it concrete, it's more likely to happen.
DeleteI'm planning a mini get away with my husband and another overnight get away so I can do some beading. No Sundays off, but a few days carved out of the busy schedule to rest.
ReplyDeleteThe pedicure sounds like a great idea. I might try something along those lines myself.
Beading, yay! Maybe mine should be knitting.
DeleteI am seriously worried about how I am going to cope as I am already exhausted. Ideas are welcome! Perhaps if I can just get proper days off it would be a start!
ReplyDeletePat, this is one group that will urge you to the self-care. We assume we're all busy and at risk of giving in to over-scheduling. No praise for that in this community. But schedule a manicure or a massage and we'll cheer! If you're not taking your days off now, my suggestion is to write a plan for each of them on your calendar, a non-work plan. Then follow it the way you follow the commitments on the other days. You're no good to Baby Jesus if you drop in your tracks.
DeletePat!
ReplyDeleteYou must carve out time for your restoration. Put it on your calendar--schedule the time in.
Since most of everything for me is planned out, I am feeling quite excited about the December holidays. Two of our Sundays in Advent are led by musicians, and then our congregation.
Praying for all of you--and yes, the pedi mani sounds wonderful.
Maybe I should start now.....
Yes, a pre-Thanksgiving mani-pedi would lay the groundwork for the pre-Christmas mani-pedi, wouldn't it?
DeleteOkay, that pedicure sounds like a great idea, and I will book a massage for the week before Christmas. Did mostly fun stuff today, for a change. Doing that one day a week is my pledge to myself.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Mary!
DeleteI just told a woman yesterday that I can't come to the Advent brunch this year because, come December, it's really important for me to sleep in on the one day I can... Saturdays. Since I'll be 37 weeks pregnant on Christmas Eve, I'm really trying to do a lot of reading and pondering in November, so that December is smooth. We're going to someone else's house for Thanksgiving. We'll be way low-key at Christmas. I've ended all "extras" by the second week of December and someone else is planning the church Christmas party. My pledge to myself, to my family, and to the congregation is that I will swim (water walk) at least 3-4 hours every week. Those precious hours where the water holds the weight of me and the baby are both symbolically important and physically crucial.
ReplyDeleteBeing pregnant during Advent is so special, Julia! Many blessings to you and baby. Have you read @katherine willis pershey's book Any Day A Beautiful Change?
DeleteI am on a retreat today a an inexpesive, fun hotel not far from home - sermonating, planning for Advent and a nap are on the plan for today :)
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