Get sleep, drink water, breathe.

I almost died when I was born.

I was born with severe jaundice. I needed to be transfused. I had needles put into my heels and my blood was replaced.

The trauma of that event impacted my life in many ways, and I am sure I will be writing more about that the future. Today I will be writing about one message that was instilled in me.

Hurry up. Do as much as I can, as fast as I can. I may not have much more time.

I cannot argue with the sense of passion and focus and determination that this has instilled in me. These things have served me quite well. If needed I can ignore my needs and push myself beyond the capabilities of most people.

Therein lies the problem. I never learned to pay attention to my own needs. I never really learned how to slow down. I learned yoga and martial arts and meditation. But I never really paid attention to myself, until my bodily demands got so strong that I was forced to slow down for a while. But only for a while.

I think I have successfully dealt with the emotional traumas caused by my near-death experience. Now the problem is dealing with 50+ years of habits.

I need to stop doing all the things on my lists, and get to bed earlier. I need to take breaks all day long and drink water and do some deep breathing.

I am improving. Just a few years ago I would work on my yard and garden and house all weekend long. I would push myself to get done as much as I could until I was about to fall down from exhaustion. Now I stop. I take breaks. I drink water. I relax.

I do not get as much done but I am learning to live with that.

My peace and health are worth it.