Self-Care Love Letter.
Art by (one of my favorite artists) Circa78 Designs. Please check them out!
Dear Beautiful Caregivers,
I recently was inspired to blast Free To Be…You and Me in my car while driving around Arlington.
In 1972, it was ahead of its time in highlighting the reality that boys and girls can do all the things, no matter how they express their gender. And thank goodness we continue to evolve!
The 2 messages I want to share with you that resonate so strongly with me regard the freedom of children, and the personhood of parents:
“Take my hand, come with me where the children are free
Come with me, take my hand, and we'll run…
…To a land where the children are free
And you and me are free to be
And you and me are free to be
And you and me are free to be you and me.”
(Written by Marlo Thomas performed by The New Seekers)
Children deserve to experience that joy of running through a field and feeling the sunshine and wind on their faces, without anyone telling them they are “doing it wrong.” Because they are absolutely the right people for their time and place, just as you are the best person to be their caregiver. Trust that. Because you can run in the sunshine right alongside your child in a way that no one else can: That’s magic and that’s truth.
“Parents are people,
People with children,
When parents were little, they used to be kids
Like all of you, but then they grew
And now parents are grown-ups,
Grown-ups with children,
Busy with children, and things that they do
There are a lot of things a lot of mommies
And a lot of daddies, and a lot of parents can do”
(Written by Carol Hall and performed by Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas)
I see you, parents. I see you sacrificing your desires and needs to be present for your children. I see that you are super-multidimensional humans, who have needs and delights and interests and connections beyond the parts of your life that define you as a parent.
I invite you to honor yourself today, a radical act of self-Love on Valentine’s day.
It can be the tiniest thing, like giving yourself affirmations while in the shower, appreciating your body for all the awesomeness it navigates on a daily basis, or placing one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly and breathing deep and saying, “I belong here.”
Maybe it’s rocking out to your own favorite songs in the car, or screaming into a pillow to offload stress, or calling a friend just to say hi. Whatever it is that brings you a moment of joy, centeredness, grounding, do it. Today is the day. I dare you: take a moment to celebrate your personhood.
