Self-Care Week
Getting my colors done with Hampson Image Consulting
This week I accidentally scheduled a bunch of services for myself all in the same week. I thought I would write about them.
Tuesday–Train with Suzanne. She pushes me harder than I usually go. Not sure how I will do afterward. I like the training because I like the idea of getting stronger. I am afraid of doing too much, hurting myself, of being a burden on my family again. I want the training to take me ahead but I don’t know what my boundaries are or how I will know when I get to them.
Wednesday– Hair cut with Stacie from Strut Salon. She is a lovely person and a great stylist. I enjoy seeing her. We decide to let my hair grow in the back–maybe the weight of the hair will tone down some of the curliness.
I am still feeling tired from my training on Tuesday and trying to rest but I am pretty sure I trained too much. I feel sad that I have found a limit. It messes with my motivation.
Thursday– Get my colors done with Claudette, my image consultant. It is an interesting experience having them done. It is tiring for my brain to look at all the different colors. Apparently, I’m an autumn. I will look forward to getting my color swatches so that I can look and see what I have and what I have to buy. I remember an assignment one time where I interviewed a grandparent. Then I wrote an essay about my grandmother. “Her favorite color is brown,” I wrote. At the time, it seemed inconceivable for brown to be anyone’s favorite color. It is the color of dirt, I thought. In my color analysis, brown is my best color. I rather like brown… now. I do have a fair bit of brown in my wardrobe. I worked with an image consultant 7 years ago who suggested more brown and I took her advice and bought more brown over the years. There are some other “autumn” colors in my palette, too. I will look forward to wearing them.
Friday–Reiki session. I can’t keep my eyes open when I receive Reiki but I get the best Reiki nap. It isn’t a gentle sleep. It is an energy packed sleep. I wasn’t sure I would like Reiki when I started going but now it feels so peaceful. I am relaxed at a level that doesn’t happen for me otherwise. Maybe it is like meditation although I can’t usually sit still to meditate. I feel my thoughts run around in the beginning and then I feel emptied of thoughts by the end. It’s great.
Saturday–I schedule a spa day on Saturday in Ellicottville, New York while Mel and the boys are skiing and snowboarding. I will ski tomorrow but for today–SPA DAY! I start out with Tammy for an hour massage at the Oasis Spa in Ellicottville. She has a nice touch. I really like this spa. It is cozy for a ski town instead of being all white and crisp like I see in the big cities like Toronto. There are darker colors and darker wood. They dim the lights during the treatments.
I haven’t ever done a spa day before. I have had many pedicures and many massages and a couple of facials but never in the same day. My second treatment is a full European Facial with April. She is fantastic. They make their own products at Oasis and the facial is amazing. The layers of texture, heat, cool, wet, dry, scrub, and massage are mesmerizing and interesting for my mind. It is an incredible pleasure for a sensation junkie like me. This facial is really the highlight of my day.
My final service is with Sam who gives me a pedicure. Sam is newly out of school and does a good job with my pedicure. I pick a green shimmery color from OPI for my toes because I have it at home so I can touch up if I need to.
Sunday–I ski. I schedule an adaptive ski lesson. I haven’t skied in 4 years and last year I thought I wouldn’t ever ski again, so I set a goal to get out there. It was incredible. It was the highlight of my self-care week. I was so proud to fly down the mountain and it was worth the screaming thighs and sore muscles. I loved the thrill.
It was a great week. I feel nurtured, solid, and cared for. My toes are ready for a trip to New Mexico in a couple of weeks. I am still sore from skiing but I feel quite satisfied with my accomplishment. I think I need a new goal.
As I reread this post I notice the women who were along for my journey this week. Suzanne, Stacie, Claudette, Tammy, April, and Sam. My gratitude goes out to them for their kind and loving touch in my life.
