I live in a beautiful 3800 square foot home with 2 large guest rooms, a big kitchen and dining area just perfect for parties and a huge fireplace surrounded by overstuffed couches that creates the coziest, most welcoming vibe you could imagine. And since this home also doubles as Bellyfit® Headquarters, there's even a large studio that doubles as a wicked dance floor when we really wanna get wild!
In short, when I feel like having folks over for any kind of gathering, small and intimate or shoulder to shoulder, I’m all set up and I go for it, especially when there's something as special as Thanksgiving (one of my fave holidays) to celebrate! (I’ve got lots to be grateful for!)
With 4 different families (all whom I adore!) making big plans to join us for the weekend (yes, the guest rooms would have been full!), I started to feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety and stress. I was feeling tired and uneasy about the amount of work ahead (as any Domestic Goddess knows, the beds don’t make themselves and the fridge doesn’t fill itself!) and generally pretty frazzled from a very busy couple months of work, ie: international expansion, mentorship of new Bellyfit® Trainees and new product development. Phew!
The first time I considered cancelling the whole weekend, a wave of relief washed over me which was quickly followed by an even bigger wave of guilt and shame!
But as hard as I tried, the feelings of anxiety and overwhelm just wouldn’t leave me, and eventually through a flood of tears, with the big weekend less than a week away, I confessed to my husband and begged him to please let his family know...with sincere regrets, we would not be hosting this year. Gulp.
Understandably, he had resistance at first, but as any loving husband would do, he witnessed my rawness and sincere need for some serious down time...and he graciously and lovingly conceded to my wishes. (Ya, he’s a keeper on all levels!)
Within minutes of him sending out the cancellation emails, I felt infinitely better as a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Naturally our lovely guests were all more than understanding, and no harm was done. Phew!
Listening to my inner voice (Intuition rocks!), honouring my body’s limitations, being gentle and kind to myself and asking for what I need are all things I have been ‘working on’ for many years, and yet, the voice of guilt and shame was still loud and clear when I thought about how I would be perceived by those around me. Ugh!
Now that I’m on the other side, having spent a deliciously relaxing weekend with my beloved man and my sweet baby girl (OK, she’s 14, but she’ll always be my ‘sweet baby girl’!) walking our puppy on the beach, snuggling by the fire, watching movies, reading magazines and baking apple pies (with no stress!), I cannot imagine having done anything else. And in the end, we did keep our weekly Sunday dinner date with my Dad who was more than happy to enjoy my homemade pie and cranberry sauce;)
With the wisdom from this successful little foray under my belt, I feel even more empowered to be true to myself despite what my inner critic might be screaming, and I know that although self-preservation may not be the most glamorous, Instagram worthy of pursuits, it is the unsung hero of a body well loved and a life well lived. Now THAT’S something to be grateful for, every day!
I’m grateful to YOU for reading all the way to the end and I hope you too are committing to self preservation on all levels...because at the end of the day, you at your best is as sexy and gorgeous as it gets!
Love & Gratitude,
Alice
XO