Friday, April 17 2009

Tonight I'm thinking about self care. That phrase 'self care' always brings the image of loofah pads and bath salts to mind but it is more than that. A relative new comer at a meeting once said that she thought of it in terms of taking something off her shoulders and I have carried that with me. Sometimes if I am not at a meeting it is because I am taking care of myself.

This past week I went to an Alanon mtg that I had been leaving at the bottom of my list for the last two months. I am nearing the end of my three year commitment as group rep and will probably never attend this meeting with the continuity that I showed three years ago. But times change, we change and meetings change. One thing that I have always appreciated about Alanon is that there is no recrimination when one shows up after being gone for a number of meetings. At it's purest, it is truly a program of love and kindness.

So I attended the meeting last week. I brought a different me, refreshed from the absence, I came in differently, brought the body and noticed how my expectations had eased and enjoyed seeing the familiar faces. Thought how maybe I would come a little more often, in a less active mode, take my seat as a compassionate witness.

What's good about today is that healing can be taking place, when I least expect it, often when I am not trying so hard.