SEPTEMBER 1
We can be a little more resistant to calls of duty, though re-
sponsibilities, too, can help us keep going. But if we tend to
be superconscientious, we can relax a little...When we do
go into social groups, we need not expect too much of
ourselves or feel we have to be scintillating or muster up the
small talk.
—MARTHA WHITMORE
HICKMANWhat we are suggesting is that we be kind to ourselves,
realizing we have sustained a major wound and need
time—maybe even a little self-indulgence—to recover.
If there is some level on which we feel responsible for
what has happened (even if it’s only the “guilt of the survi-
vor”), we may feel a need to work extra hard to prove we
deserve our place in life again.
Wrong! As the lapel button popular a few years ago pro-
claimed, “I am a child of the universe. I have a right to be
here.”
Or to quote the dying priest in Diary of a Country Priest,
“All is grace.” Life is a gift none of us earns. We need to take
care of ourselves so we will be strong for another day. Let
someone else do the extra chores of life for a while. We’ll
have our turn again, when we’re feeling better.
I need make no excuses to anyone—not even to myself—in taking
time to let the depleted wells of my energy fill up again.