One of the other gals in our Artist’s Way group shared last week that her husband didn’t think our practice was worth her time. He sees it as “woo-woo, airy fairy, and good for nothing,” she relayed. Of course, when he said that, he wanted her to do something else with him so he may have been a tad biased. In response, I said:
It doesn’t matter what other people think is best for you. Only you can choose.
I then told a story about my college boyfriend, who mocked me for reading romance novels. Every time I picked one up, he gave me crap about how they’re poorly written and cheesy and a waste of my time, and eventually I stopped reading them…until we broke up. But the funny thing about it is that giving them up served no one: I was more stressed because I’d lost an escapist relaxation tool and, let’s face it, I felt less amorous toward him because there was little to no romance in my life. Just the cold, hard reality of work, television news, and school.
It’s funny how often the advice we give others is the exact thing we need to hear ourselves. If you read my post a few weeks back, you’ll know that I’ve been trying to honor my own wisdom instead of soliciting others’ advice. So to the advice I gave my friend above, I’d add the following for myself:
Abstaining from choice or soliciting others’ opinions is just another choice.
Throughout the Artist’s Way, a lot is said about choice and making time for your inner artist. It follows the logic that you must put your own safety mask on before helping others, a truism that women—and particularly moms—often have trouble following. But if we’re NOT making time for what we need, whether it’s alone time, exercise time, or time to pursue a passion, how well-equipped are we to care for others?
I know it’s easier to say this than do it. One of the other members of our group is a single mom and, having been raised by one, I’m aware of the situation’s demands and struggles. But I also believe this:
We all do the best we can with where we are at this point in time.
Here’s a little reminder for the road ahead, from last week’s reading:
Anything you need to remind yourself about this week? Please share in the comments.
Cheers,
