Small Things

Divas, it’s time to have a reminder talk. It’s to be expected at this time of year. As summer winds down, many a Diva is gearing up for a new wave of work and chores. Perhaps it’s getting the older kids off to school or settled into their first apartment, perhaps it involves new quarterly goals at work. Whatever it may be, it’s all too easy to lose track of the small bits of everyday self-care that are oh-so-important to living a balanced, gracious life.

Many people who do not understand Diva life think that “self care” involves large chunks of time spent at hard-to-get-to and expensive locales. No. No, no, no. While that is one form of self care, that is NOT what we’re discussing here. (Not that I’m discouraging saving up for that luxe getaway. It’s good to have a mental picture to put with your dream jar.) The entire idea behind self care done the Diva way is to have those small, bright bits scattered throughout every day. Every. Single. Day. You’re not running away from your life; you’re not letting things get to that point. Instead, you’re building a life you enjoy celebrating every day.

Many things have small beginnings – sort of like oak trees and acorns. Throughout this site, I discuss any number of them. For instance, try the “Diva Drills” under the RESOURCES tab – that’s four weeks of tiny nuggets of prep work to start you painlessly on the Diva path. The point of this is — every day, you should have, at the bare minimum, one thing that just makes you feel good about you and the life you’re living right now. Not the life you hope to live in three months, or after you lose fifteen pounds, or after the kids are out of the house, or anything else. Today, right now. This book might be useful to you.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started, but really – it can be anything, provided it brings you joy and you pick something every day for the next week.

• Drink your coffee, fixed just the way you like it, from your favorite mug.
• Say “no” to something you don’t really want to do and don’t explain any further.
• Watch a favorite movie from your teen years.
• Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.
• Look carefully at people and give five sincere compliments.
• Find a Little Free Library in your town and see if you can find something new to read.
• Have a two-minute dance party in your office. Or the kitchen. Or the office kitchen.
• Take 10 minutes at the end of the workday to make your “to do” list and straighten your workspace.
• Buy flowers for your desk. (Or send yourself flowers at work!)
• Cook something comforting.
• Cook something new.
• Find a playlist of music you enjoy and play it while doing chores. Singing along is optional, but encouraged.
• Wear your best – scarf, perfume, jacket, and so on.
• Take 20 minutes at the end of the day to play – cards, word games, puzzles.
• Putter around for 10 minutes with plants – pull a few weeds, water the houseplants.
• Say “yes” to something unexpected that comes your way.

Make time for yourself, every day. Now you’re well on your way to being a Diva!