Self Care?

Well, I started to ‘self-care’ early on in life, though, to my knowledge, no one called it that then. I was pretty much a ‘loner’ in school from elementary on. Since I didn’t ‘hang out’ with friends (or really have any), wasn’t in any social clubs, wasn’t on any of the athletic teams, nor after school organizations (for the most part), my care was almost always up to me. Family wasn’t much help, as Dad was always working or philandering, and cultivating an adversarial environment between all of us siblings, while Mom was busy pumping out more sibs (culminating in 7 of us), or napping because of her ‘migraines’.

Spiritual and mental health: Mom insisted that we attend Sunday school and church (with her) every Sunday. Her friends told her they thought that I might become a preacher since I paid such close attention to the sermons. I did listen closely. Then, around the age of 12 or 13, I started reading philosophy, including Eastern thought (which I’ve discussed in previous posts). As a result of several years of casual study, I adopted philosophical Taoism, Zen, and the Yoga Sutras (all of which included several forms of Meditation, which I practice to this day) to serve as my spiritual grounding.

Physical health: I was quite small and sickly as a young child. In high school, I started to work on my physical health, with swimming at the YMCA and Judo classes with competitions. Then, through the rest of my life until retirement, I regularly worked out in martial arts (Judo – in which I competed until my mid-fifties, Aikido, and Tai Chi). I also practiced Hatha Yoga off and on over my whole life.

So, how do I practice self care? Some of the above, though I’ve curtailed it all down to meditation, the Sun Salutation, and Tai Chi… Plus, I write and paint. And I think that they do me the most good, at least these day…; -)

–LE – 6/23/25