You know that old saying, “Even if you don’t feel like it, get up, dress up, and show up?” Well, that was me one day this week.
I belong to a group of women that gets together once a month but during the worst of the Covid pandemic, we suspended meetings. Then we went virtual, then a combination of virtual and in person. That had only limited success so now we are back to meeting face to face.
I was really looking forward to getting back into our regular routine but the morning of the meeting, I woke up feeling awful. Not sick, not contagious, just blah. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back between the sheets and hibernate there. I could have easily done it.
For years I had dragged myself out of bed to take care of kids, go to work, make it to class. I had done the ‘get up, show up’ routine my whole life. But I was retired now! Could I not blow off a meeting and stay in bed if I wanted to? The answer was, of course, I could. No one would stop me. Except my own self.
I have been a member of this particular organization for over twenty-five years and, in that length of time, I have met some amazing women. They are the kind of women I want to be like when I grow up.
We are a diverse group. Some of us are wealthy, some not so much. Some have advanced educational degrees, others are self-taught. We are old and young, short and tall. But we all bring something to the table. The one thing that unites us all is our purpose in promoting education for girls and women, both locally and internationally. It is a goal I thoroughly believe in.
So, I got myself up and went to my meeting. And, just as I knew it would be, I began to feel rejuvenated. Because I enjoy being with these people. We share our joys and our sorrows and our common goals. We cheer each other on and cheer each other up. We learn new things from each other.
And therein is the lesson. Humans are gregarious creatures. We need other people. During Covid, many of us have retreated and become too accustomed to isolation. Too much of even a good thing is not always in our best interest.
Be cautious and choose wisely, but get back out there, even if it is on a limited basis.
Go out with those you know and trust. You will feel better for it. I know I did.
What do you do to re-energize yourself?
Well said!!