"Me" Time

Women take on a lot of roles.  If we have children, then our center stage is Mother. Mother takes a lot of time and energy.  But for many of us, we also have another large role to play - Wife. Wife takes many forms, including Household Manager, Financial Advisor, Pride Soother, Peace Keeper, Career Coach... the list goes on.  In addition to that, we may be Daughters, Sisters, Aunts, Godmothers, even Grandmothers. We may also be Employees.

Most often, a part of us gets lost in all these roles and responsibilities.  That's the "Me" part, and that's the part we need to hold tightly to. We need to keep ourselves in the forefront of our minds, right in line with the grocery list, the budget, where the emergency supplies are, bedtime routines - we need to remember what we love and why, and how to get some time for ourselves.

We often find it hard to keep the "Me" part of ourselves afloat. She gets lost in the day to day grind, the little stresses and emergencies that we face every day. She hides whenever she sees Guilt - our biggest demon. We don't often feel as if we can afford to get some "Me" time.

My "me" time varies. There are certain things that will never fail to make me feel better. A haircut is one of those things (I am so due for one, too!) - it makes me feel very special, happy, upbeat - it doesn't matter what else happens that day. Inside, I'm shining because I have a great (or even a crappy) new haircut. I sit down in the chair and when the stylist asks me what I want, I tell her to do whatever she thinks will look good. For once, I am not going to make the decisions, I am not going to be responsible. It's her job to cut my hair, so I just let her do it. It usually works out pretty well, and if it doesn't? It's just hair.

        

If I'm really lucky, I might also be able to snag an hour or two to sit in the bookstore and read a book that I didn't bother to pay for, sipping a caramel machiatto that I did pay for, and maybe munching on some cookies.  On the way there, I'll turn my music up really loud and listen to whatever I want. I will sing along and make a fool of myself, but I will be so, so happy.

It's moments like that where I can feel myself shining through. I feel happy and carefree. I can feel all the stress wash away, if even for a few precious minutes, and it recharges me. It fuels me. It helps me get through the next week, month, year, because another thing about us women? We keep going on so little, we keep pushing forward for our friends, families, children, ourselves.