Tag Archives: wedding

Let Them Eat Cake

1243My husband and I just celebrated our 9 year anniversary on Tuesday. Client feedback coupled with reflections on the last nine years of marriage afforded me a small insight. Just as each of us have relationships with other people, we all have a relationship with ourselves. And, like a marriage, our self-management skills play heavily into our struggles and successes.

Part of our wedding process ten years ago, involved pre-cana (a Catholic tradition involving time to reflect on the marraige journey.) Our course was led by a couple married 40+ years, who suggested a banking paradigm involving metaphorical deposits and withdrawals. Too many deposits and few withdrawals leaves one individual feeling depleted. Too many withdrawals and no deposits, the bank will eventually close your account (eh-hum). I wonder if we can’t extend this analogy to our healthy living?

The holiday weekend is upon us. Many of us are going to make some withdrawals on our healthy living account: increased indulgent eating, high alcohol consumption or stressful travel. And, many of us are going to make some deposits: sleep, rest, quality time to socialize with loved ones or time finish personal projects. We can’t have too much of one or the other and expect to have a healthy state. All work and no cake makes Jane a dull girl.

Strive for balance in the big picture. A holiday weekend of indulgences is no big deal to a person the consistently takes great care of herself. On the flip side, one great weekend of sleep cannot undo months of deprivation and stress (although, it is a step in the right direction.)

Enjoy your long weekend as you see fit – eat a piece of cake, sleep longer than usual, have an uninterrupted conversation or take time to cook your favorite recipe. Consider your healthy living bank account and applaud yourself if you’ve struck a fulfilling balance. Not quite there yet? Today is a great day to start.

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Chicago, IL

True Love

BlakelyFITFruitHeartAs part of a wedding invitation, guests were asked to write “what does love meant to you” on their response cards. This was/is an adorable couple: warm, loving, sincere, down to earth and each hilarious in their own right. I hesitated to contribute anything. My notion of love tends toward the practical and I suspected it might seem mundane. Nonetheless, I wrote: “Love is caring enough about another person to take good care of yourself.”

Being the couple that they are, they included these quotes into their ceremony. I told them later how touched I was to hear it. They shared that my particular quote had motivated the groom to quit smoking. Wow. What a beautiful idea.

As you enjoy Valentine’s Day this year, may I be so bold as to pass along the same advice. Consider caring for yourself as an expression of your love for those dear to you. When we proactively care for our health, we have more energy to give to loved ones, fewer reasons to burden others and a happier disposition making us more loveable.

I wish you and yours a day full of kindness and love!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Want to take care of yourself, so that you have more to give?
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