Making the Time

Early this past Saturday morning, I found myself sitting in the salon, warm and cozy, safe from the 20-degree deceivingly-sunny-weather peering in from the glass windows. Feeling happy to have escaped the house without any tears from the girls. Without feeling rushed, panicked or guilty. Breathing in the vanilla coffee beans and finding myself witness to a young mother who was preparing to donate her long, caramel locks. She spent the entire two hours that I was also there, just two chairs over, being transformed into a “new” version of herself.

A young woman. She actually worked at the salon, and when she stood up from the chair, with over a ruler of her hair bundled into ponytails on the styling table in front of her, she was g.l.o.w.i.n.g. Beaming. E.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. in the salon stopped to look at her finality of her makeover, myself included. She was gorgeous to begin with, but her sparkling insides were now pouring out. And my thought…wow, how important it is for women, mothers especially, to make some time for themselves. To plan an escape from the day-to-day mundane tasks to have someone take care of them.

It is almost a necessity, in my mind. But the problem for most women? The guilt. Mothers, most especially. Taking that time to pull themselves away from what matters most. To have someone pamper them. It’s a hard plan to execute.

If you ask anyone who knows a compassionate woman, in an instant, that very person could very well undoubtedly ramble off a list filled with dozens of adjectives to describe this amazing nurturer. Humble. Giving. Ambitious. Dedicated. Driven. Hardworking. Selfless.

Selfless. The quality that I see so. very. often. in woman, and particularly, those sweet mamas. Such an unpretentious characteristic. Constantly giving of themselves. Their time. Their resources. Their energy. Their careers. To ensure a healthful, joyful and full life for their children. But who takes care of them? Most impassioned women and mothers won’t ask for help. They don’t miss a beat. And they certainly don’t make a habit of treating themselves to much of anything.

But, oh what a difference even a few minutes can make. Making the time to do something for ourselves. A hot bath. A glass of wine, cuddled up under a blanket, lost in a can’t-put-this-down-book. A trip to the salon. A girls’ night out (or in). A shopping trip alone. A special retreat. A piece of cheesecake. It doesn’t have to be anything costly. Or extravagant. But it should be something that offers a sense of refreshment, renewal. Something special. Something for which we can find the value in carving out that time. Even if it is something that doesn’t even require us to step foot out of our front door.

So, to all you precious, nonstop women…especially all you exhausted, amazing mommas, considering making the time. The time to treat yourself to something special. You deserve it. It’s more than okay to reward yourself every now-and-then. Sprinkling our lives with a bit of self-pampering amidst the mounting chaos will never hurt anyone. Nope, just the opposite, sweet friends. It can leave us with an incredible spirit, renewed and ready to take on the world for yet another day!