Friday, June 17, 2011

Caring

I got my tooth pulled yesterday. I have been trying not to take very many of the pain pills I was prescribed, because I don't prefer taking pills, but it has been really painful, so I have been taking a few here and there.

I have been resting a lot, and Joshua has been taking good care of me. He made me warm soup and really soft broccoli, covered my work, and came to check on me this morning when I slept longer than usual. I am really grateful that I have someone to take care of me.








Joshua and I, last winter.








I think it is really awesome that the labor system here is sometimes built around caring for yourself and one another. If you take care of someone when they are sick, you can take labor credit for it. If you are sick, you get labor credit for the time you take to get better.

You can't receive labor credit for other kinds of caring, though people still care for each other in many ways, regardless of whether they get labor credit for it. For example; hugs, listening when someone is sad or upset, and telling others that you appreciate them.

I don't think it is any big surprise that I get depressed and anxious, like almost everyone here does, sometimes. When you live with lots of people, you get to experience all their moods, but you don't always have the time or energy to listen to someone. A big lesson that I have learned here is that taking care of myself is a big priority. I try to remember to make time for myself to do yoga, meditate, draw, take a bath, write, go on a walk, et cetera. If I don't take care of myself, then it is difficult for me to care for others.

Having a partner means that sometimes I forget to take care of myself, and depend on him to care of me, but we both remind each other that too much dependency isn't healthy.

What I have observed since I have been here is that caring for one's self, and then for each other is what keeps the community running.

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