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ACTUALIZE YOURSELF – DOSE / DOUSE WITH WATER DAILY
Monday, May 25, 2020
So often we end visits saying, “Take care of yourself.”
We do this spontaneously.
Why can we not be more deliberate, taking care of ourselves in premeditated fashion?
Our self is not viewable – yet always present – never leaves us, is part of us. Without it, we could not survive, let alone thrive.
Like water, it is not visible, yet it is a significant part of our being, part of our bodies – of our lives and at the root of our capacity to exist.
There was a time when life was simpler, simple at least, and now the world and its problems are so connected, and everything seems more interconnected than ever, maybe it is a time for simpler things.
Like self.
Like water.
We cannot live without them, yet we don’t take care of them as well as we should.
So there is so much of self and water that are parts of us, I can only wonder if we need to pay better attention to balancing our concern for both because they are both so crucial to our healthy body and our healthy state of mind.
Self, by itself, is a fascinating uncomplicated looking word with profound meaning for a single syllable foundation brick of life.
Before we consider selfies and all the hyphenated self’s … self-absorbed, self-sufficient, self-centered, etc. – what is the self?
Self.
This word has so many variations and meanings that you think, as a four-letter word, it should be far more straightforward.
I read one explanation that rang so true: some believe that it’s only in times of high stress that a person’s true self is revealed.
I’ve been spending a lot of time by myself lately – so there is plenty of opportunity for review and reflection on this subject.
Self sits with us in our quiet moments and comes for a ride with us when things are moving fast. It’s a bit like water – whether pooled and still, or going over a waterfall, it’s still water.
Still self.
Water is everywhere, essential to all forms of life – we need to consume it daily, and 60% of our body weight is water; our brains and hearts are 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The amounts vary from person to person, and various age ranges, depending on which online article you read. The self and water are inextricably connected.
Water doesn’t bruise or spoil, doesn’t change shape unless you freeze or boil it – and come to think of it, no matter how chilled or steamed the self gets, it’s still our self.
No matter how many ways you slice our life and needs – food, water, and shelter remain fundamental – the top layer in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is and remains self-actualization.
Self.
Actualized.
Realized.
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