“Prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud”
– Dr Maya Angelou
I love this quote, it optimises the importance of nourishing oneself.
When we are filled up, healthy, in balance, vibrant, it is so much easier to bring joy and service to others.
In a world where it seems that ‘more’ is better, where working long days and filling every available space with activities and projects is revered and encouraged, it’s often hard to put on the brakes and go with a way of living and being where ‘less’ is better. Where you know and trust that by nourishing yourself you are giving more to the people around you.
Creating time for what fills you is a brilliant way of committing to being a rainbow in some else’s cloud further down the track. For each of us, that space is going to look different. For some it’s curling up with a compelling novel; for others it’s going camping (two hands up from me); it may be instigating nap hour in your house or simply not checking emails all through the day.
Enquiring into what will fill you up is absolutely an individual journey. We must each learn what fills us, what nourishes us – from food to activities, how much sleep is needed or even setting boundaries with certain people in our lives. Learning to read the body and emotions like a really good book will be the greatest gift you can give yourself and thus the world around you.