Rachelle, in her excellent blog Magpie Girl, writes about fascinating things - ex-patriot life, parenthood, spiritual life after organized religion, art, ritual, and finding and cultivating life with your tribe.

Last Thursday, she posted her list of 8 Self-Care Essentials: "It’s time to think about what you need to stay healthy and sane on a day-to-day basis. "

Here's mine.
You've probably discerned these for yourself, if you check in here from time to time.


1.Sleep. I am just – literally, in the past 2 weeks - learning the joy of sleep.

2. Chemicals. For the time being, at least, I need to ingest a few chemicals, to balance out the ones that my brain makes too much of, or absorbs too little of, or...something. I’m not totally clear on the process. Here’s what I know: my brain was trying to kill me. Now it’s not. To hell with stigma. Bring on the pills.

3.A face-to-face conversation with my husband. About something other than laundry and schedules.

4.Reading time. A magazine, a library book, the Style or Food section, SOMETHING that’s not an email.

5.Food which is actual food. Like sleep, I neglected/ignored/did not believe this was necessary for about 45 of my 47 years.

6.Time to cook a meal and wash up/get things back in order.

7.A bit of news – real (NPR) or fake (Jon or Stephen, although this may threaten #1.)

8.Singing with my kid. And occasionally, without him.