Wednesday Self Care

Some experiences, I’ve found, both energize me — and drain me.

Last night I had the wonderful gift of being the featured reader for The Inner Loop Lit’s Solstice Celebration, at the garden of Doubles in Columbia Heights (do NOT miss a square of Sonny’s Pizza while you’re there; it’s the best Sicilian-style pie in DC).

Thank goodness my friend Todd Kliman was there, to chat with me beforehand and to give me a big hug afterwards, because I was more nervous than I realized. “When you got up there, you were shaking,” Todd said. “But with each sentence I could see you getting stronger, rising to meet the very tough words you were reading. Brava.”

I might have read for too long. I have no idea! That’s how nervous I was. I’ve only read from Life B a handful of times at this point, and I’ve only read a handful-and-a-half of times altogether. I’m new to this literary readings game. Thank goodness Rachel Coonce and Courtney Sexton, the goddesses behind The Inner Loop, do such a fantastic job gathering DC’s literary community and running regular readings to help us all support each other. I was nervous, but I also felt safe.

So, back to the energizing-AND-draining thing. . . I’m sure everyone understands the draining part. I had to drive into DC via a circuitous route due to highway construction, then anticipate my turn, get through the reading, sit afterwards for a bit to see if anyone wanted to talk with me (they didn’t, LOL), drive back home. I was tired.

But if you’re an introvert and a creative, as I am, you’ll also understand that being in a room chockfull of sizzling artistic vibes can energize you, too, and not always in a positive way. That’s not to say the vibes weren’t positive; it’s that taking in the energy can be energy draining. Once I got home, I couldn’t sleep. I was tired and ready to sleep, but it was as if I had the spirits of all my comrades with me, chatting and laughing and responding to the wonderful poetry and fiction and nonfiction we all listened to in the course of the event.

It took me a long time to get to sleep. However — and here’s the self care part — I knew it would be like this. I deliberately did not schedule anything for today. No deadlines, no meetings, no lunches, no errands. I do have work tasks and I’ll make progress on them, including my creative output for the day, but I’m not doing anything that will further drain my energy. I woke up a bit later than usual, and I’ll probably take a nap later. I’ll also: Take my meds, take a walk, practice meditation, drink a lot of water, and call a friend when I need to take a break and have a laugh.

Like sunscreen, self care must be applied each and every day.