“You can’t pour from an empty vessel,

take time to fill yourself with acts of self care”.

This evening as I forced my aching bones into a bath tub filled with epsom salt and essential oils, my mind drifted to earlier days before endless tasks involving raising kids, cooking, cleaning, driving and working. There was a time before children when I prioritized my need for quiet and and took to writing and contemplation and reading. These days when I forget to practice self care, I “pay the piper” physically, and I doubt I am alone in this.

In this day and age, self care tends to be captured on Instagram and social media and displayed in the cliche form of luxuries such as spa treatments and vacations. But what if the bones of self care are less grandiose than that and more simplistic yet meaningful?