Ah! That's Nice!

About 45 minutes ago when I sat to write this post, my body was fatigued, and my mind was busy. When I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to focus my attention on today's message, as I often do, all I could hear was busyness.  More breathing.  Finally, my mind quieted a bit. "Take a bubble bath!"  I know better than to resist my guidance, but I did say, "Really?"

"Take a bubble bath!"

"OK. I get it."  I have to say the thought was delicious.  Today was my first day back to work after three days in bed with a cold and a couple not in bed when I should have been. My stamina lagged. A cold wind cut into me on the way home, so I raced for my front door instead of doing what I would have preferred: taking a long relaxing walk.  Not tonight.  I tried one of those new recipes, and it was definitely not a keeper. It filled but definitely didn't satisfy me. Even the Colbert and The Daily Show were repeat episodes.  I did need a pick-me-up, and the bubble bath filled the order. 

I keep some inexpensive bubble bath for just such emergencies, and as the steam wafted upward, the fragrance of "English Garden" filled the bathroom with a reminder that spring will come.  As I slipped my weary bones into the warm water, every ache seemed to melt away with the steam rising from the bubbles.  "Ah! That's nice!"  I said out loud.

Many times I've reminded coaching clients, usually but not always women, that on the airlines the safety advisories at the beginning of flights caution that if we are travelling with young children we should put the oxygen mask on our own faces before doing so with the little ones.  Especially for people working in service professions, we tend to give all day and then often give to families in the evening.  We forget to put the metaphorical oxygen mask on ourselves. 

This evening my message is that sometimes we just need self-care, slipping into relaxing warm water to the fragrance of spring and allowing ourselves to feel cared for.  That's nice!