Karen Restivo
In Other Words....
Regardless of good intentions, the Thanksgiving Holidays wreak havoc on our best-laid plans of eating healthy.
Talk about history annually repeating itself!
In search of a simple solution to this ongoing dilemma, I came across a magazine article written by author Elizabeth Gilbert, known for her best-selling book, Eat, Pray, Love.
The article, “Give Yourself a Hand” touched on the frustration and self-judgment we reign on ourselves when we unconsciously fail to act in, what Gilbert calls “our best interests in the chaos of the present (holiday) moment.”
Looking back on her childhood, Gilbert gives us an example of a wonderful concept her mother shared with her that just might propel us in a direction of positive change.
She writes, “One summer my parents convinced a neighboring farmer to tend to our farm while we got to go to the beach for a whole week.
“On the morning we departed, my mother stripped her bed, washed and dried the linens, and remade the bed perfectly, as if she were preparing it for a guest.
“I was baffled. Nobody was going to be visiting while we were away; why go to so much time and trouble?
“My mother explained, ‘Oh, this is just a little present I’m giving my future self.
“This way, when she comes home all tired and worn-out at the end of her vacation, she’ll have the gift of fresh, clean sheets waiting to welcome her back to her own bed.’
“I found it striking that she felt such friendly kindness toward the person she would be.
“My mother’s current self clearly believed that the stranger she’d become over the next week was deserving of love.
“Aha moment!
“Moving away from self-criticism and judgment to a place of compassion for ourselves is a game changer.
“What it comes down to is our daily choices create the life of our future self.
“We spend years putting away savings for when we retire, so why not offer daily gifts to your future self that promotes health, wellbeing, a feeling of being loved and appreciated.
“Somehow this makes skipping dessert after lunch or taking that weekly yoga class seem more doable.
“I’d like to close with Gilbert’s powerful words, “That mysterious and blameless stranger will someday have to live in the world you’re creating for her today.
“In other words, you’re the one making the bed, but she’s the one who’ll be lying in it.
“So be nice to her today. Be nice to her every day. Remember: You are the best friend she has.”
Karenrestivo57@gmail.com