Synopsis: Workaholic Elf Takes Care of Self. Apply your elven career skills to self-care. Be a Domestic Elf! Be professional about self-care.
Elves are productive members of society. Santa’s elves, shoemaker’s elves . . . We industriously display fine craftsmanship: toy makers, jewelers, arborists, mechanics, sales staff, ethical marketing consultants, and more.
We love our work, but sometimes we work non-stop, completely ignoring our God-given inclination to immediately drop a project at the sight of snowfall or the scent of fresh baked cookies.
This is my Domestic Elf Pendant. I designed and made it for myself somewhere between 2007-2009. (I hope to make a few more for other domestic elves. It’s a vintage wooden spool I beaded around, but I want to figure out how to integrate cloth into it and have less beadwork. I think it’ll be pretty!) But it’s taken til now to finally thoroughly enjoy wearing it: You can be a Domestic Elf without fully enjoying it. I tend to have more fun when I’m busy as a Santa’s elf, and then wonder what the heck to do on days off.
But recently I applied my elven industriousness to self-care. My mega-datebook keeps track of the personal and professional tasks I need to accomplish day-by-day. On a day off, I went back through the datebook, then spent the day playing catch up, by following through on two week’s worth of datebook entries about self-care. It went really well. I had a merry time, working away at taking care of me, relaxed and happy.
I’ve been taught that self-care includes two things. One is fun¸ luxurious, or indulgent, e.g., baking a special dessert for myself. The other is the down ‘n’ dirty part of self-care, e.g., making a dentist appointment, or restocking my homeopathy supply – the stuff a mom does for her kids, and that busy grown ups might forget to do for themselves. It is a grown up’s job to be a good mom for him or herself. I can apply my elven industriousness to that job!
Here’s my day-off poem:
Workaholic elf
takes care of self;
busy busy busy day,
loving me in every way.
Time off gives me health and cheer,
to make me strong for YOU TOO, dear!
I love the busyness and productivity of my work-day, but I hope to also keep applying my industriousness to self-care. Maybe you can use this approach to take care of you.
