I spend a great deal of my time doing things for other people in my life. No, this is not a complaint - I realize it's just a fact of life for most moms, and most days, I don't really mind it. I quite like the life I lead, thank you very much. :)
I am taking stock of my life as I write the content for my very own Me: The Abridged Version album, as taught by the fabulous Cathy Zielske over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. As I go through the bits and pieces of my life, I realize I'm actually pretty good at taking to heart an important piece of advice that so many of us women give one another. You know... the bit that goes like this:
"You spend so much of your life looking after others. You need to make time for YOU."
I am really quite good at doing this. Regularly. It's almost embarrassing, actually. There are days, like yesterday and today, when I feel almost hedonistic - I spent a LOT of time on the tennis court this weekend, and I loved every moment of it.
In honour of all my friends who make time to take care of themselves... and as a reminder to those of us who sometimes get too busy to do so, I present to you the following list. Here are six things I do for me:
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1. Play Tennis
At first, I thought I'd learn to play tennis so I could hit the ball with the boys and avoid paying for lessons every time they stepped on the court. After my second private lesson, I was hooked, and I haven't looked back. While I do enjoy playing with the boys, I now play and seek to improve my game purely for the joy of getting better at something I love to do.
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2. Scrapbook
When I first started scrapping, I thought of it as a way to put my photos and memories into an album so the boys would have a keepsake of their childhood years. Oh, how quickly that changed! Before long, it was all about the pretty papers and the fun, creative things I could do with the rather expensive tools and supplies I was collecting. Then it morphed into a desire to get a pat on the back from fellow scrapbookers who looked at the scans of my layouts that I posted in online galleries. After that, I became obsessed with getting my layouts published in magazines - thankfully, that phase did not last long! These days, scrapbooking is about telling stories with photos and words (just like it was at the beginning), except I do it for one person only. Me. And if Mike and the boys happen to love the albums I create, that's just icing on the cake.
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3. Run
In my mind, there's not an activity more hedonistic than running. I am not using the term hedonistic in a negative way here. Just in a matter-of-fact way. Running just feels good. I run because it makes me feel strong. I run by myself because I like the time spent alone. I run with friends because I like to chat and catch up on what their kids are doing. I run because it makes my clothing fit better. I run because I enjoy the scenery along the Ottawa River. I run to clear my mind. I run because I like blasting aerobics music on my iPod to push me along. I run because it means I can eat dessert guilt-free. I run because I like the rhythm of breathing, syncopating perfectly with the sound of my feet hitting the ground. I run because I can. I run for me.
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4. Sing
Trust me on this one - it's a good thing that I sing for me, and me alone. I tend not to sing when others can hear me. I used to sing in a choir as a young girl, but I can't imagine doing it as an adult. Every now and then, I might sing in front of Mike or the boys, and sometimes I've even sung while working out in the spin or aerobics studio alone at the club, but that's about as public as my singing will ever get. (Geesh, I hope no one was around those times!)
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5. Drink Starbucks
The $4.00-coffee - it's my guilty pleasure. My reward for going to school for long enough to get a decent-paying job. I could settle for less, and I often do, in the name of convenience, but whenever I can, I treat myself to a grandé non-fat latté.
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6. Blog
I could pretend that I write on my blog to leave bits and pieces of my life for my children to read, but quite honestly, I'd be surprised if they had the inclination to sift through all this blah-blah in years to come. I used to think I blogged to share pictures and stories of my kids so my out-of-town relatives could keep tabs on us, but they must be bored silly by my incessant talk of scrapbooking and tennis, so I will be honest and admit that I write this blog for me, and me alone. I quite enjoy the moments of introspection I experience as I blog. Are you a blogger? It's really rather self-indulgent, don't you think?
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What about you? How do you make time for YOU in your busy life? :)