Living a "Go Nourish" Life

Today was an amazing day! My best friend married her fiance in Toronto, Ontario in a beautiful backyard ceremony surrounded by their family and friends (the majority of which were on Zoom).

I was supposed to be there, as the maid of honor, and originally (pre Covid) as the officiant. Lots has changed in the last few months that derailed these plans.

I made the ridiculously difficult decision mid-June that it would be logical to not fly across the country during this time, and therefore miss being at the wedding in person. My heart didn’t want it to be true, but I knew it was the right decision given the state of the world, and the number of people I would potentially be putting at risk - myself included.

As tough as today was, it could have been far worse, and I honestly expected it to be. It’s not every day that you feel like you’re letting down your best friend on one of the biggest days of her life. Yet, with all of my recent personal work, I realized it was about much more than that. This was about being a conscious, thoughtful citizen, and about thinking of others.

I didn’t want to expose her parents or grandparents to someone who had just flown across the country (even after a 14-day quarantine), nor my parents, who I would have been staying with. It was also about realizing that just because I couldn’t physically be there didn’t mean that I didn’t want to be, nor did it mean I was completely absent (thank you, technology!). I realized that we will get another chance to celebrate in May next year when they throw their big reception.

Knowing this day was going to be difficult, I set out this past week to intentionally nourish myself so I could be in the best possible mental and emotional shape for today.

I have been exercising a LOT (also fostered by a little workplace fitness competition happening until the middle of August), I have been practicing yoga on the balcony in the morning sun, and taking morning and evening walks by the ocean. I have been focusing on putting quality foods into my body, and listening to it when it asks for something (which some days was spinach, and other days was pizza. Balance).

I got an amazing amount of sleep last night, after burning the candle from both ends for the last couple of weeks. I really like getting up early, I feel like I have an extra day to myself before the world wakes. I also happen to love being up late, there is something so cozy about the dark, and I have been feeling very creative into the late evening, recently.

Both of these things are amazing, and together they can sustain me for a while, running on the energy of productivity and feeling creatively fulfilled. There comes a point though, when the scales tip in the opposite direction, and I felt that shift yesterday. I made sure to get to bed early last night, and got rid of any alarms for today, except for one emergency alarm to make sure I was up in time to talk to the bride before the ceremony.

This morning, I made a delicious breakfast, and ate it in bed. I watched about 4 or 5 episodes of Brooklyn 99, and was cozy in the blankets. I then slowly got ready for the Zoom call, and was ready just in time for the bride’s FaceTime chat. We talked while her Mom drove her to the ceremony.

It was a beautiful ceremony, her dad’s backyard was GORGEOUS, and her sisters were in charge of holding the iPads for everyone who Zoomed in. We took photos with the bride and groom and then ended the call so they could enjoy their celebratory dinner. I knew I wasn’t quite ready to be alone after, and so chatted with one of the other bridesmaids for a while, whom I hadn’t spoken with in some time.

After these calls, I made sure to listen to myself and what I wanted and needed. In my brain, I reasoned that I still had hours in the day and could definitely be productive. In my heart, I also knew this to be true, and I knew that, while overjoyed for my best friends, I was so sad I missed it. I truly believe though that all of the self care work I put in this week ensured the day wasn’t disastrous for my mental and emotional health.

So I listened to myself, and slowly got set up to do some light work this evening. I read for a while, and now am writing this post. After I set it up to publish, I am going to make some delicious food: an omelette with veggies and herbs from my garden. Then I’m going to go for a walk, have a bath, and hit the hay.

THIS is the foundation of my business and my passion: listening to yourself and what your body and soul are asking for, and actively seeking the answers, guilt-free. Imagine nourishing yourself so much that you are overflowing with self love and kindness. Wouldn’t that then spill over into everyone you encounter? I believe it would. You deserve that. The people around you deserve that.

So go. Nourish. Then feel the magic happen.