I’m a workaholic to the core. Part nature, part necessity, laziness and doing the bare minimum isn’t in my dna. With a brand currently in a major growth period, I’ve been in grind mode. The downside - my body gets beaten all the way up, and personal time becomes non-existent. As motherhood is the buzzword this week, I may not mother a child, but I sure as hell mother this business, at times sacrificing my physical health.
After weeks of ignoring sharp pain, I was told I had a small stress fracture in my right wrist (my working hand) and to take it easy, wear a restrictive brace and dial the activity all the way back before I did permanent damage. No tennis, no heavy lifting, nothing. I looked at my doctor like, excuse you sir, do you not realize what I do for a living? My wrist literally has to flick back and forth ALL DAY LONG. But if I didn’t at least try, I faced permanent damage. Oy! My marching orders were do less for 4-6 weeks, and try to kickstart the healing by taking some consecutive days off - no atelier, no house calls, NO hair.
Halfway through this period my dear friend Cleo mentioned that a crew of her people were headed to her native New Orleans for Jazz Fest. Desperate for some rest, I broke my cardinal rule, rescheduled clients, and in an impromptu move joined the group. 3 days off in a row of resting my wrist, plus a chance to meet new friends, eat and drink with abandon, listen to music and take in a glorious new city?? YES.
And Y’ALL- what a time it was. I’ve been back a little over a week, and I’m still basking in Nola’s glow. The people, the laughter, the joy, the vibe! To put it simply, the combination of removing myself from the grind, and awakening that dormant muscle of wonder and curiosity that’s needed when really taking in new sights, sounds, tastes and conversations, was a wonderful exercise for me.
Beauty surrounded me, but the best part is I was able to really see it, and appreciate it. Take good care of yourselves y’all, and please, pause when you need to. The body is delicate, and our time here is fleeting
