Life According to Henry - A Tribute to My Fur Nephew
Happy November Reader,
My sweet, loving fur nephew, Henry, died suddenly this weekend. He was a tender, special soul who brought us great joy. His death is a huge and sad loss for our family.
Henry was such a comfort for me during the tough years of mum's long illness and subsequent death. And always a source of calm while caring for dad over the last year. He was intuitive and just knew when I needed extra love. When I was away from him I reveled in getting photo and video updates. He consistently blew my heart open. I loved his soft coat, long lashes, sweet scent and gentle demeanor. The way he always wanted to connect and would sit close by, being sure to touch one of us somehow. Though he had a heart condition, you could never tell - he lived fully until his last day. He remained happy, curious, and joyfully committed to his naps.
November is a big month for me. I'm turning 50, we're moving dad from assisted living into long-term care, I'm finishing a coaching course and I'm launching my first program.
What I've learnt is that when things are busy, the to-do list is longer than usual and emotions are intense, more than ever, I need to up my self-care game. It's what gets me through. It gets us all through.
Before I knew about Henry, given everything on my plate, I had scheduled some self-pampering with a spa facial. The day after he left us, I spent the morning grounding on the beach with my coffee, barefeet in the sand and sun on my face. I put in a call to see my acupuncturist this week, gave myself a day of pajamas & popcorn on Sunday and many naps since.
Because life is "brutiful", accompanying my grief are also great wins this month. I celebrate opening a store on my website where you'll find both a Happy Hour 6-Pack for purchase (after redeeming your first free one) and my new 'Self-Care Swaddle Package'. It's a 5-week beta program, starting on December 1st, which will include a kick off class, a one-on-one call, spacious and supportive weekly sessions, some laser coaching and a Happy Hour finale. Yes, it's happening at the busiest time of year. But, like I said before, when our schedule and hearts are heavy, and we're most at risk of losing ourselves, is when we really need to commit to our self-care.
I'm going to follow in the loving pawsteps of my sweet boy, Henry, and continue to live wholeheartedly, milk the days I have and unapologetically stop for rest when I need it.
Won't you join me?
PS The next Happy Hour is scheduled for Monday, November 28th, 11:11am Pacific.