Individualism
”taking care of yourself”
This definition of individualism is intriguing to me because normally I would think that word would be used in a selfish way: in a “it’s all about me” kind of way. Today’s MotD, however, wants us to regard it as self care; taking care of yourself in such a way as to be able to be 100% present for yourself and others.
For instance yesterday a neighbor with whom I walk with 3x a week was celebrating “Pi” day. She invited friends and neighbors to join…including me and my husband. He was up for it, I was not. I struggled with what to do,on and off most of the morning.
My good-girl, catholic-raised, Irish-guilt self said “You should go. It would make your neighbor happy. You don’t want to hurt her feelings do you? You walk with her every week? What kind of friend are you? You should also go because your husband is going. How would it look if he went and you didn’t? And don’t you need to spend more time with your husband?” and on and on it went.
My self-caring self really just wanted to stay home and work through that day’s to-do list. I set it up using my new-to-me project/time management system. I’m excited about it because it’s easy to use and it feels like it’s going to work for me…it makes me excited about moving forward on projects of which I’ve been procrastinating.
As for my walking friend, I know she will understand. My husband, thankfully, is the type of person that’s ok with doing things without me having to be there. I know he would prefer I go but it’s not a deal breaker for us.
Thankfully, my self-caring self won out yesterday. I’m so glad I listened to her…I feel so much better for it.
How about you? Is individualism a core value for you?
BTW…this is what it looked like before I started…
joyfully,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
inspiring and encouraging creativity, curiosity, and play through the art of mandalas
About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day
Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.
Mandala of the Day 