As I write this today, March 9, it is the one year anniversary of my cancer surgery. The one year anniversary of the beginning of a journey to healing. As I remember it, it’s fuzzy. It’s a blur. I was in a lot of pain prior to my surgery, so I was actually looking forward to getting the surgery.

<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