Secure your oxygen
mask first.
Do unto others, as you
would have them do unto you.
2013 is bidding adieu and 2014 waits in the wings. When I
was tucking the kids into bed after our family-friendly countdown to 8 PM, I
tried to remember what I did last year on this night. Then I remembered: I started this blog.
I won’t make a resolution that I’ll be more diligent about
blogging this year. I’m also not resolving to exercise more. My resolution is
simple, but it is one that will take more strength than I realize. Here it is:
be kinder to myself.
As a teenager I struggled with the whole “secure your mask
first” approach. It sounded so selfish. And even though at 37 I logically know
that securing your mask first is a no-
brainer for survival, I haven’t really gotten
the message. Not fully, not enough.
So as a Type-A perfectionist who has struggled internally
this past year more than in years past, I resolve and pray to be kinder to
myself so that I can be kinder to others. Can I breathe more fully, get that
oxygen deep into every cell so that I have something to give?
Well, I’m not sure, but I hope that I can trust the Spirit
being at work, helping me pay attention to what is broken and what needs
healing. It’s all gift, this breath, this life. Why not savor it a little more?
Peace to you in 2014.
