Today

Sometimes I don't feel very much like taking care of myself. You know what helps in those times? Knowing that there are people rooting for me to take care of myself. Because I often can't do for my own sake what I can do because someone I love wants me to. Does that make sense? Lately, I'm just not feeling very well, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, or physically, and I'm not taking very good care of myself. But a few people are rooting for me.

So today, I did a few things to take care of myself. I

made my early (read: 2:30 am) wake time productive by doing some grading and going to work at 6:30 instead of lying in bed and torturing myself all night. Now I don't have to work until 7 tomorrow!

ate breakfast and lunch.

sat at a friend's kitchen table for half an hour, drinking tea and listening to her talk and watching her make bread with her daughter.

went to yoga class (which I've skipped for a week).

And in addition to that, I got a postcard from my amazing baby sister, who is currently meandering around Switzerland, eating chocolate and visiting museums and churches. And in addition to that, I'm having lunch with another friend tomorrow, to which I'm really looking forward. And I've decided that, for the remainder of December, I'm going to make a point of noticing one beautiful thing each day and, in so doing, make it through this most "wonderful" time of the year. Because if there's anything that lifts my drooping heart, it's beautiful things. And today's beautiful thing is this song. I've been listening to it over and over all week. This song positively floors me. It made me cry the first, like, ten times I heard it.

Go here, and click the blue button next to the first item in the queue. (I think you can only listen to it once before it will try to get you to sign up for an account on the site. Sorry. There are no good videos of it on YouTube.)

It's called "It's Never Too Late," and it's by Michael Franti and Spearhead. I don't know why, but it just makes my heart ache (in a good way). Enjoy.