...And, Sometimes You Just Have to Get Through the Day

Sometimes you flourish and thrive and other days there's nothing to do but make it through. I’ve had a rough week this week. In my food post on Monday, I mentioned that my dog, Chloe, had not been eating. Her time with me on this planet, ended on Tuesday night. I loved her like a child and miss her immensely. I have to say the pain is stronger than I expected. In times like these one has to pose an important question, “am I going to slow down and honor the pain I’m feeling, or am I going to push through it?”

Sometimes there appears to be no choice. We know people are expecting things of us and we also place expectations on ourselves. It is true that we need to be challenged in order to grow but sometimes we just really need to give ourselves a break. I think our society today is definitely “a push through the pain” society. Just look at the pharmacy shelves and the commercials on television for all of the pain-killers, acid reducers, anti-depressants, and more. Don’t get me wrong, I understand there is a time and a place for medicine and I am grateful for all the physicians, surgeons and researchers out there who are working to improve our health and wellness. I just really think that if we all felt more comfortable with giving ourselves time to more fully heal when our hearts, our bodies, and sometimes even our egos are bruised, we’d all feel much better more often of the time. 
I am grateful for the practice of yoga, which has helped me to become more self-aware of how my behaviors and life circumstances are affecting me. In a yoga class you start to pay more attention to how the way you move and think affect the way you feel. As you increase your self-awareness, you start to see more clearly what little things you can do for yourself to ease your pain and encourage faster, fuller healing. Sometimes it means challenging yourself to do things you are a little uncomfortable with and other times it means retreating a bit and allowing yourself time, space and a healthy dose of TLC to help you recover more quickly and grow more fully because of the experience.
Thank you to everyone who sent little notes of recognition and comfort. It was very helpful and much appreciated!