This week was all about radical self-kindness. I don’t deal well with stress, and I knew that this week was full of all-day meetings and that this is often a trigger for my stress levels to sky rocket and for my ability for kindness and patience towards myself and others drops. So this time around I chose a path of radical self-kindness. This might sound selfish, but the lesson I learned was that focusing on yourself and your basic needs allows you to approach the needs of others from a happier, less stressed, platform. As Gretchen Rubin said in her podcast a few weeks ago: sometimes you need to treat yourself like a toddler – a cranky toddler. The end of the week was full of sunshine and family, and throughout the whole week there was so much to be grateful for. Here is my Nourished Life Gratitude List Week 16:
Monday: Today I got a lesson in avoiding passive aggression. I get a demerit point in my fighting style because I am often guilty of being passive-aggressive when I feel like things aren’t going my way. Instead of directly communicating my needs I withdraw. Today I was grateful for a lesson in learning to communicate what I need to do my work, and having someone acknowledge that need. Living with active gratitude is often a humbling daily lesson.
Tuesday: Tonight was a late finish in our meeting and I was grateful that I had taken the time out in the morning for a run at the gym. When I messaged Chris to let him know we were having a late night I got this text message “You are not allowed to cook dinner tonight. Come home and I will organise something. Then we can snuggle and watch Kimmy Schmidt together.” I am grateful for the way he knows how to take care of me when I just need to be cuddled and coddled sometimes.
Wednesday: Tonight Chris and I met up with Caroline and Tim, and Michelle and Mani to celebrate Caroline’s birthday! We had delicious Indian food and lots of laughter. It was so sweet to see Michelle’s growing baby belly, and celebrate my oldest friend’s birthday. I was grateful for a night of heart warming time in the middle of a busy week. The lesson here: it’s okay to take a week-night off and just relax with friends for a night.
Thursday: Thursday was a blur of minutes, actions, and emails. I was grateful for my colleagues helping me out all week long by fetching lunches and setting up the drinks and plates for the lunchtime rush. They made my life a whole lot easier the whole week long. I am grateful to have thoughtful workmates.
Friday: Today our meeting finished early and Jess and I managed to head out for a late lunch. I was grateful for the time to decompress and catch up with Jess after a busy week. I also had the opportunity to leave work a little early and I made the most of my escape by going for a long run out in the setting sun. I watched the light bleed across the sky and fade behind the city skyline and let my stress drift away on the cooling evening breeze. I was grateful to capture those moments for myself and get into a great place for the weekend.
Saturday: This morning I woke up late, well, late for me. After a delicious sleep in I joined Mum, Mormor, and Jess to see Cinderella! Oh my it was fantastic. I am so glad that they didn’t make Cinderella into a wimp, and the story was just beautifully told. I was grateful for losing myself in a fairy tale for the morning, and being reminded that: firstly, there is magic in this ordinary world, if only we care to look, and secondly, the most important things in this world are to have courage and be kind. That’s a lesson we could all learn to live by.
Sunday: Today I had another sleep in and then spent some time on a long walk up and down our hilly streets before Chris and I headed to Mum and Dad’s for our ‘family lunch’. When I sit next to Casey and we end up giggling about stoma bags (not really a laughing issue, but when you have a dietitian, a doctor, and a doctor in training at the table these are the things that come up), or watch Shane secretly devouring dark chocolate from the fridge, or see Dad and Trent talking about lawn care, or Chris and Mum sharing their latest TV obsessions, I am grateful for this family that has built itself around me. They are my most precious pillars of strength, and they feed me with their love. I am grateful for lazy Sunday afternoons, and all the nourishment they bring.
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Also this week:
- I made a small batch of cookies with a surprise ingredient from the garden!
- My friend Lynn from Fresh April Flours is writing a cookbook! Full of delicious puppy chow recipes for every occasion. I can’t wait to start trying them all!
- Jessica from Sweetest Menu created what might just be the best chocolate and cookie craving buster ever! Her Double Chocolate Cookie Layer Cake is on my list of treat foods to make soon!
