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What do you LOVE?
At first glance it may seem like a simple question to answer. Perhaps for some of you, it is?
When my friend Amy first suggested I start a blog, my first question to her was ‘What do I write about?’ She replied ‘Write about what you LOVE!’
That sounded easy enough – except it stopped me in my tracks!
Of course there are the obvious – I love my husband, our children, our 2 yellow labs, my extended family and friends….
But then what?
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So I decided to start a LOVE list. There were no rules or guidelines as to what could be added to the love list – this was mine to create. With pencil in hand, I set out to write down everything I could think of that I loved. The first item on the list was skiing, followed by photography…..and then a long bout of writer’s block.
That was it? Just TWO items on my list!
I felt defeated as I shoved the list in my purse and went about my day. It was at least 6 hours later when my next love item hit me, and I felt giddy with excitement remembering how much I had loved throwing clay on a potter’s wheel. I grabbed my crumpled list from the depths of my purse and with great satisfaction I added the third item to my love list. That opened the flood gates and the list quickly grew to a whopping 6 things I love.
That’s when I realized my love list was a work in progress. The reality was I had lost touch with what I loved, and I needed to recreate it one love item at a time.
Each of our stories are different, but chances are many of us have our focus on our children, homes, spouses, jobs, ailing parents, volunteer positions, pets….everything BUT ourselves!
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When we fulfill so many different roles in our life, our “giving” cup gets drained over time. If we continually give our time, energy, and support to others, without taking care of ourselves, eventually we will feel depleted and have nothing left to give.
Taking care of ourselves by exercising regularly, making healthy food choices, getting enough sleep and scheduling doctor’s appointments is necessary, but that’s simply critical maintanence. It doesn’t fill our cup back up!
A requirement to replenishing our “giving” cup is to frequently put ourselves first, which means making time to do, have and experience the things we LOVE most!
My love list has grown since I first started it, but here are the first 20 items on my list:
1. Downhill Skiing
2. Photography
3. Pottery
4. The sound of running water
5. Long bike rides
6. Girl Scout Cookies
7. Crossfit
8. Early mornings by myself
9. Cribbage
10. Boating – tubing, wake boarding, water skiing or just cruising
11. Red wine
12. Snow
13. Rainy day movie marathon in my pj’s
14. Sleeping outside
15. Dancing – all by myself or in large groups
16. Thanksgiving
17. Playing my flute
18. Ping Pong
19. Handstands
20. College campuses
There is no limit, so start your LOVE list and watch it grow. Remember, creating your love list is just the foundation. Incorporating things from your love list into your life is where the magic happens.
Fill YOUR cup up!
with Joy & Gratitude,
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