Day 16
Sep 10/Elul 15
“Self-love my liege is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting.”
My favorite and only memorable Shakespeare quote used to hang over my desk for a while, reminding me to be like Henry V – valiant and fearless. Or something like that.
Self love, not selfish but valiant for what’s worthy and prioritised for my well being is, surprise, not as simple as one would like it to be. Any number of what the ancients called demons and we call unconscious self destructive forces such as fear of success or lousy childhood patterns keep us from living the lives we crave and deserve. Before I start sounding like an editorial of O magazine, let me just say that the only reason I am bringing this up is because like so many I too get off the righteous path of self care and find myself in situations that are dubious and then, every once in a while, like here and now, am prodded to get back on my chosen track. This so called artificial deadline known as Elul is nevertheless really helpful, I find, for prodding.
So. Water. Enough? Most research shows that four of ten Americans don’t drink enough water daily and need more for better health. O lucky ones with taps at home! Lets not take the privilege for granted and nourish our cells with what will keep us loved and stronger and wetter inside. Maybe not eight glasses a day as some suggest – it isn’t one size fit all – but i’d say err on the side of more for starters, and then adjust.
What’s one more act of simple self care that I can fix today and possibly commit to? We’ll get to sugar next..L’chayim.
