What Did You Give Up?
Last night I took a bath.
I donβt mean a quick shower before bed. I mean a real bath. Hot water. Epsom salts. Time to soak. Time to think.
It was the first one Iβd had in years.
The funny thing is, I love baths. Iβve always loved baths.
So why had I gone years without one?
Because somewhere along the way, I stopped arranging my life around things that nourished me.
I suspect Iβm not the only woman whoβs done that.
Most of us donβt wake up one morning and decide to abandon ourselves. It happens gradually. A little compromise here. A little sacrifice there. The things that bring us comfort, joy, creativity, or peace slowly get pushed to the edge of the table while everyone elseβs needs move to the center.
We tell ourselves itβs temporary. Weβll get back to it later. After the children are grown. After the job settles down. After the crisis passes. After retirement.
After. After. After.
And one day we wake up and realize years have gone by. The painting supplies are dusty. The piano hasnβt been touched. The hiking boots are in the back of the closet. The dream has become a memory.
The thing we loved is still waiting for us. Weβve simply stopped showing up for it.
Last night, sitting in that bathtub, I realized something.
The bath wasnβt important because it was a bath. It was important because it represented something I had reclaimed. Something that contributed to my well-being. Something I had quietly given up β not because it wasnβt valuable, but because I had stopped valuing it enough to make room for it.
That realization hit me harder than the hot water.
Iβm beginning to think a healthy life isnβt built by continually sacrificing the things that make us feel alive. Itβs built by paying attention to them. Protecting them. Making room for them. Not because weβve earned them. Because they matter.
The portable bathtub sitting in my bathroom isnβt really a bathtub. Itβs a reminder that life doesnβt become richer by continually giving pieces of yourself away. It becomes richer when you reclaim them.
So this morning, I have a question for you.
What is it in your life that you gave up that was valuable to your well-being? Maybe it was painting. Maybe it was gardening. Maybe it was reading novels on a rainy afternoon. Maybe it was taking long walks. Maybe it was simply having an hour to yourself without feeling guilty.
What did you give up?
And perhaps more importantly β what would it look like to bring it back? Not next year. Not when everything is perfect. Not when someone gives you permission.
Now.
If my thoughts made you think about something you quietly set down years ago, I want to invite you somewhere you can pick it back up.
Every Tuesday, a small group of us gather on Zoom for the Breakthrough Circle β women who are done waiting for permission to reclaim the things that bring them alive. No agenda, no performance, just honest conversation.
For a limited time, Iβm offering 20% off an annual membership. Not because reclaiming yourself needs a discount. Because I want the women who need this room to be able to walk through the door.
Come as you are.
Join The Breakthrough Circle β 20% off annual membership
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