I made a simple voice memo the other day. I heard a recording of my voice and it stopped me in my tracks. Brought instant tears to my eyes. You see, I forgot. When I hear my voice in my head, I sound like me. I sound like I have always sounded. But that’s not what I sound like now.

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">We are all sponges. I recently heard this theory of self-care that resonated with me. When we take care of ourselves, we absorb water like a sponge. Then throughout the day as we navigate life’s tasks of work, family, etc, etc, we are slowly - or quickly - squeezing out the water. Or, more literally, squeezing out our energy, our capacity for work, our good mood, our tolerance for frustration, etc. If we don’t take time to adequa