I’ve had possibly one of the busiest and most connected weekends ever.  Clearly…cause I haven’t posted in 4 days. So I’m going to give you a quick run-down:

Friday: 8.24 – I had a couple of afternoon cleanings, then I went to the grocery store. While there, I got an instant sweet tooth.  I didn’t want my usual vegan dessert…Oreos or Biscoff cookies.  I wanted to actually cook something.  So I cooked a vegan cheesecake.  It was pretty delicious, considering I had to combine about 3 different recipes.  I’ll have to share them later.

And yes, I am still on a journey to lose 20 pounds by the beginning of October.  And yes, eating that cheesecake stalled my weight loss, but my self-care act for Friday was allowing myself to indulge, and not feeling guilty about it.

Saturday 8:25 – Maddie’s Birthday! She planned her whole day, with only advice from me. Here’s the kicker, though.  She planned to spend the whole day with friends.  Of course, she invited me to tag along, but I really wasn’t in the mood to hang out with teenagers all-day.  Like me, Maddie shines the brightest  when she’s around, in front of, and leading others.  That’s where she gets her energy.  I had no qualms, neither did I feel some type of way about her spending the day with friends…friends that she’ll be parting ways with in a year or so.  She’ll always have me.  These friends are only there for a moment.  Later that night, I kicked it so hard.  An art show and 3 house parties.  3!  My good friend Candice joined me for a couple of parties.

I ate a little, drank a little, danced a little, but I ultimately exchanged energies with some lovely souls.  That gave me just the push I needed to get through the next day.

Hanging out with like-minded people is necessary for me, because it energizes me.  Connecting to an energy source is a form of self-care.

Sunday 8.26 – Why did I need that push?  Cause it was my first official Bask & Bounty show.  I vended at the Natural Cuties Pageant, a contest honoring and recognizing the beauty and brains of women and their natural hair.  I spent all day long prepping for it, so I didn’t necessarily plan or come-up on a self care act, BUT while out running errands that morning, I stopped by RedBox to rent a romantic comedy to watch while labeling my products.  That was pretty much the only  sit-down break I had for the day.  The rest of the day I was moving around. Even at the show, I was up and down greeting and selling to customers.

Maximizing my breaks by including something I enjoy, is a form of self-care.

Monday 8.27 – Saturday night, Candice brought it to my attention that my cracked iPhone may be covered by Apple Care, meaning they could repair the screen at a low cost. I promise I don’t remember getting Apple Care, but I’m so glad I did.  It cost $30 to fix it!!!!  That was dope, but my internal struggle while there was not so dope.  Reference my Monday FB post for more info.  I was so heavy when I left the store, I had to write about it.

Writing my emotions helps me to feel better.  Writing is a form of self-care.

Tuesday 8.28 – I really wanted to chill and do nothing on Monday, because the weekend wore me out.  Monday unexpectedly wore me out even more.  Today, I did nothing but me-time stuff.  I went to a few stores, painted my nails and toes, cooked a lil, typed a lil, caught up on my reality shows, drank a lil wine, and chilled before taking a nap and heading to work.  By the way, I work part-time third shift.  It’s my insurance and benefits.  The hours are perfect because I have ample time to do what I need to do in the mornings, plus I’m off on the weekends.  One day, I’m going to have to share my story about me leaving my administrative job at the University of Memphis to pursue physical labor and blue collar work.  It was life saving.

Making space for me-time is a form of self care.

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Though I make sure I carve out time to be sure I am taking care of myself, I do have to recognize that overall, since launching Bask & Bounty, I’ve been a little all over the place.  It’s not a bad thing, but as a creative, and a social soul, my life naturally moves in circles that can quickly spin out of control if I don’t pull in the reins.  I’m gearing up to head back to school, which is going to add another layer to my already full life.  My next few posts, I’ll be talking about the need I have to cocoon, and the benefits of drawing in and covering up so that I can set myself up for an exciting and challenging level.