Nurturing

What nurtures you?

At the Refilling Your Well retreat I assist, this is a question we ask every time. We go through a visualization meditation and exercise of writing down the things that nurture us – whether it’s a hot cup of tea, a day at the beach, a massage, a hug – and then examine why we don’t do those things more often.

Often we blame time, or money, but there’s almost always a deeper truth there. We, a lot of us, don’t know how to take care of ourselves. Or really understand the importance of it.

This year, I’m not making “resolutions” per se. But I am looking at what nurtures me. What makes me feel good, whole, happy. If you know me at all, you might already know a couple of things on that list: a hot cup of tea. A good story. A dog cuddle. But there are other things too, that I often forget about: A great workout that leaves me breathless and sore the next day, creative collaboration, a project with results I can hold in my hands, a laugh so hard it makes me cry, friendship.

I feel like if I can weave these things into my life – or even better – weave my life around these activities, I will be well on my way to a happy new year.

It’s a good question to ask, and the answers might change every so often. What nurtures you?