It’s been a few days since I have written anything. One reason was a computer glitch which I am proud to report that I resolved on my own. The other reason was that I fell while visiting our son in NC and hurt my neck. I have a hard head fortunately (I knocked myself out when I fell off a breakfast bar stool), but I did a number on my neck which is already sensitive from advanced arthritis. I’ve taken to wearing a soft neck brace like the pharmacy gal in Doc Martin.
I am extremely grateful to my daughter for her solicitous care, for the medical personnel who made sure I had not suffered a concussion, and my good friend, Tylenol, who keeps me comfortable. I have heard a lot about the dangers of the elderly falling, and so far I have been extremely lucky as each time (twice) I have not been seriously hurt. The trick, obviously, is not falling, which means not climbing up on a bar stool for one thing and using my cane or my roll-a-lator, or any other devices that help. This getting old has its challenges.
The weather is absolutely lovely for August and I finally feel well enough to go outside for a walk this morning. I have been behaving myself. I have been quiet as the doctor ordered, yet, after a while being quiet becomes boring. I watched several documentaries, read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn about the men and women who unlocked the mysteries of the Enigma Machine during WWII in England, napped, etc. The Rose Code was an absorbing read and kept me occupied for days, but now it is time to do something more challenging.
I guess if this bit of rambling has any central theme it is the importance of self care. We all need to love and care for ourselves. We may not be able to avoid all accidents or illnesses, but when something happens, it is our responsibility to nurture ourselves and follow doctors orders. It took me years of attending 12 step meetings to finally understand that doing what I can to meet my needs is not selfish, even when that feels as if I am neglecting others. Instead, it is the most loving thing I can do for others as well as myself fir when I am happy and fulfilled, it is easy to love and accept others. Jesus points out the importance of authentic self care when he quotes the great commandment to love God and our neighbor as ourselves which is all about balance. After all, we can’t really love God or others, if we can’t value and take care of ourselves, for it is all too true we treat others in the same way we treat ourselves. Growing up I did not hear the part about loving myself in the Great Commandment as the emphasis was always put on loving and caring for others. Now when I read the Scriptures I am often struck by how often Jesus retreats from the demands of the disciples and the crowds in order to take time for himself.
This seems to be a good place to stop by emphasizing the wisdom of the Great Commandment. We are to love God, as we understand God, and we are to love ourselves in the same ways we are commanded to love and care for others, to give the commandment a bit of a spin to emphasize my point.