Protecting Earth’s precious gifts, helping a neighbor in their new garden or teaching a child to weather life’s storms can be wildly rewarding. Yet, even while living consciously, we can deplete our energy, feeling guilty to have to place ourselves on the kindness list. In these moments, we must remember that everything we cherish relies on our well-being. If the foundation crumbles, the house falls.

“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you,” said mental health advocate Katie Reed. Our health and sanity will eventually falter if we always put ourselves last. Neglecting to value our emotional energy, time, physical strength, talents and compassion as much as Earth’s oceans or human rights endangers our life force. Like nature’s resources, we are finite. It is imperative to love ourselves as we love our favorite causes, making difficult decisions for our own sake.

By learning to say “No,” asking the kids to do the dishes, letting someone else bake for a fundraiser or resting instead of pushing through fatigue, we invest in our own presence on this planet. When ready, we will have more to offer. Seeing beauty in the mirror instead of flaws, scheduling joy into our days, abandoning perfectionism and embracing our humanity allow us to breathe fully and remember our passions and purpose. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” asks Mary Oliver in her poem The Summer Day. Let us all ask ourselves this vital question every morning, for we are worthy of the answer.

 

Marlaina Donato is an author, painter and composer. Learn more at WildflowersAndWoodSmoke.com.