In Tough Times, Remember to be Kind to Yourself

May 28, 2023

“In tough times, remember to be kind to yourself” was the title of an article I read yesterday in Mindful Magazine. It was extremely well timed for me, as if the universe was giving me permission to be human and admit that I had finally hit the wall after a series of family crises and positive events converged over the course of one month and left me feeling like my self-care routine wasn’t working. Actually, my routine works fine. There were just too many stressors for anyone to handle smoothly.  As the article reminded me, there are times when life is just hard, and it is okay to admit that I need a break. I did the best I could. I muddled through a few more remaining tasks related to one of the crises, tried to put my house back in order, bought a few groceries and followed through with plans to meet a dear friend to walk at Deep Run Park.

Thank goodness for friends who get me and accept me even when I am a mess! Everyone needs a few of those types of friends in their lives. Getting together with her was the carrot I needed to keep me going through a couple of unpleasant but necessary tasks. We walked several laps around the lake catching up about her recent trip and my crazy week, all the while enjoying the peaceful scenery, the sounds of birds and breezes through the trees, children laughing and people fishing. Eventually, we found a bench where we could sit and chat some more.

As we sat quietly, we both began to observe the turtles and geese swimming and going about their business in the water near our bench. We must have seemed safe to the geese because two nesting pairs and their chicks kept feeding closer and closer to where we were seated. Eventually, one parent goose climbed out of the water at our feet and led its babies to some choice greenery within a yard of us. We couldn’t believe how close they were! We could have reached out to pet them but did not. The parents must have decided that we were safe and would not harm their goslings. Perhaps we gave off teacher vibes? At any rate, it felt like a huge honor to be given such a close-up experience. After 5 or 10 minutes the parent geese bobbed their heads at us and herded their babies back into the water.

My friend and I sat and talked a bit longer before heading back to our busy lives and more items on our to do lists. I was reminded yet again that it is important to take breaks. It is important to have friends. It is important to exercise and spend time in nature. My life didn’t suddenly become stress free because I spent time in a park taking a break, but the geese reminded me to look for miracles every day and to keep seeing the beauty around me, even when times are tough.