The holiday season–that time of year when we get so busy buying, wrapping, cooking and caring that we completely forget to take care of ourselves. A few years ago, during the height of all that, I reached a breaking moment and locked myself in the bathroom, did a few breathing exercises, said a few Hail Mary’s (considering that I’m of Jewish descent, that tells you volumes).
I didn’t have a smart phone then, but I grabbed a pen out of my purse, and was about to write something down until I realized that I didn’t have any paper and writing on toilet paper with a ball point pen is a thankless endeavor. So I rolled up the long sleeve top I was wearing and wrote the following on my arm:
Self Meditation
Just for this moment
I am not your:
Mother
Daughter
Sister
Partner or
Friend
Just for this moment,
I am only me.
–poem by Lucinda Marshall
Feel free to write it on your arm, save it on your phone, recite it to yourself as needed, and give yourself the gift of personal space this holiday season.
