I had my tire replaced this week because it had a slow (ok, more like fast) leak. I spent all weekend trying to find a garage in Embrun or Russell that would be able to squeeze me in. “Yep! I'll take you in next Saturday, 9am.” 🤨 "NEXT week?!" I ended up having to drive to Ottawa to get it done sooner rather than later.
It got me asking the question: Why is it that when our car needs maintenance, we don’t even think twice about getting it fixed, yet when asked to take care of our bodies, we never have enough time or money to do it? Better yet - when we do, we beat ourselves up and feel guilty about it.
I am guilty of this too! There are a million things I think I should be doing besides a workout, or going to Jiu Jitsu class. Forget about meditating, this one always takes the back seat, despite knowing how much better I feel after.
If you’re a parent, it gets even more complicated. You have reached the “Overwhelmed” level my friend. You thought you had it figured out. Your life was balanced, you were invincible. And WABAM! Back to feeling like a white belt in life again. “I haven’t slept in ages and now you want me to what….?! To workout?!” “And you want me to commit too?! My definition of success right now is keeping 2 kids alive and fed.”
Yet, when the car needs work, the world stops. Somehow we manage to find the time and money to make it happen. It takes major mental power to choose “me” over anything else, because of the expectation society has built for me.
Sometimes the choices are not easy. My work is important to me and I love what I do, but I also love my family. I also need to move and I need to have some alone time everyday. Otherwise I go nuts and my family suffers ;).
Another thing that’s important to me is growing, learning and expanding constantly.
So the question remains: how do you manage all that plus the needy greedy things of everyday life? I think you can’t! You can find harmony and become really good at juggling but you can’t prioritize everything. You have to consicously choose. And the one thing I know for sure is that if I’m falling down for the count because I neglected myself for too long, everything else suffers, my work, my relationships and my home.
Renshi Melhem Wehbe
