Hills and Valleys

 Of all the things 2020 taught me, perhaps one of the most valuable was the value of self-care. We live in a fast paced culture; and while we are very self centered in general as a culture, we often neglect self-care. First, let's define self care. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines self-care simply as "care for oneself." Seems simple, right? I mean we all have similar needs --- food, sleep, drinking water, basic hygiene. But yet, sometimes in the business of life, the quality of even those things get neglected. We run a thousand miles an hour and do a hundred things and then wonder why we're burnt out.  Life is hard. That's a reality. But we don't always have to burn our candles at both ends. We are no good to a parched world, pouring from an empty cup. It might mean taking a walk, taking time to do my hair, making a nice meal that I like, or trying something new. On a deeper level, it might mean saying "No," creating boundaries, verbalizing you...