3 Things We Sometimes Forget We Need
1. Movement.
I am a happier, more productive person when I exercise. I know this, but I often forget it or choose to forget it. I've learned that exercise need not mean a high-octane spin class or a several mile run. Walking is exercise. Husband and I walked the girls through the park on their first morning of school. We took our time, winding through paths, stopping to look out at our favorite pond and to tend to untied laces and burgeoning blisters, but we made it there, all of us a bit sweaty and tuckered (they more than we), but primed for a good day. What matters, simply, is that we move. An aside: I've noticed that I often have my best ideas when exercising. Not sure the explanation, but clearly there's a connection between body and mind; when the body moves, so does the mind.
2. Nature.
I think it's easy, too easy, for those of us who live in urban settings to forget that we need nature, that exposure to it is essential and has beneficial effects. I was raised by parents who made sure to get us city girls into the natural world as much as possible and I'm trying to remember to do this with my own girls. There is a restorative and humbling power inherent in wilderness (or quasi-wilderness) that we must not overlook.
3. Touch.
We all need human touch. Hugs. Hand-holding. Tickles. Bedtime kisses. It all counts and it's all important. Physical affection and connection are vital. I've been focusing on this recently. How Husband's kiss first thing in the morning is meaningful, how wonderful it is when one of my daughters grabs my hand to hold it. Depending on where we are in life, how solitary our lives are, touch might be easier or harder to come by, but I think a little can go a long way. Small reminders that we are not alone, that we are bodies in the world. This is obviously an area where the Internet falls short; we can connect online, but we cannot shake hands through the screen, or offer a hug.
What are things you sometimes forget you need?