Self-Love and Other Lies

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"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

Romans 12:10

This past weekend I participated in the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler here in D.C. It really is a special road race. It travels through all of the monuments during peak Cherry Blossom season, providing fresh beauty and inspiration at every turn.

No dogs are allowed and, even if they were, Squirrel wouldn't be a good candidate as he is too easily frightened by loud noises and big crowds.

I did, however, get permission from the vet to have him accompany me on some of my longer training runs. I've always been a little nervous to take him too far and damage his joints or paws, but the vet gave me reasonable guidelines and the go-ahead for him to join me.

Even with her permission, however, I still made sure to take breaks during our long runs to make sure I wasn't pushing Squirrel too hard. He was a trooper and proceeded to get extreme zoomies back in the house after each run.

So pretty certain he was fine.

When I run alone, I hate stopping. Even when I need to. I'm very competitive, even with myself, and I always want my time to be just a bit better. Running with Squirrel is definitely more fun, but it also slows me down enormously.

This also reminds me of my attitude when driving home to see my parents in New Hampshire. It's about an 11ish hour drive from outside of D.C. Pre-Squirrel, I tried to never stop more than once; I'm definitely a "let's get to where we're going" kind of girl. Once I adopted Squirrel, I also adopted much more frequent breaks on the road to ensure he could get out and stretch his legs and potty.

Stopping with more frequency during both long runs and drives is arguably healthier for me as well. So by taking better care of my dog, I'm also taking better care of myself, without intentionally prioritizing me.

This got me thinking about how much we prioritize self-love and self-care in our culture. It's all about what best serves my mental health, my boundaries, my well-being, my needs. It sounds good and right - after all, shouldn't I take care of myself? - but I think such narrow-focused, obsession actually has the opposite effect. It's when I stop spending so much time thinking about myself and thinking more about others that I actually do what's best for my soul and mental health.

Don't believe me? Consider this. Which do you feel more fulfilled after? A day at the movies eating popcorn, or an afternoon spent volunteering with a food bank? Splurging on an expensive dinner, or sitting with a friend while she's crying, knowing you were really there for her in her time of need?

Is the mental health crisis of today because we don't spend enough time considering our needs...or is it because we're not spending enough time considering the needs of others?

I'll let you - and God - be the judge.

As for Squirrel and I, we're going to let God pour into us and meet our needs, while we focus on spilling over with His abundance to bless others.