Pedicures Solve Most Evils in the World

As I rushed past Sister Lourdes' office today, lunch in hand, dashing to make my next meeting, Sister called me in (one never disobeys a Religious, especially when, technically, they own the hospital that employs you). So I went in her office, lunch in hand, feeling impatient that she interrupted my stride.

She asked me to sit down at her desk and proof-read the correspondence she penned to the Cardinal regarding the Ethical and Religious Directives as they pertain to our FQHC partnership. I'm Catholic and I don't even know how many Cardinals we have in the US. But I know it isn't many and we only had one chance to get this Cardinal's attention. In addition to my supposed grammatical skills, she was actually asking for my logic on the ethics she explained.

I'm so not yet an ethicist, but it's exciting to be consulted on ethical matters. Like the case I had in Hospice this week. A patient had an end-stage, terminal disease and did not want to linger. Her Advanced Directives instructed us to not let her linger. But her daughter, the power of attorney, was a staunch Catholic who believed in the Church's latest revision of the Artificial Nutrition and Hydration directives, which mandates that nutrition be given to the dying. This stems from the Terri Schiavo case. Regardless, it became one wicked battle of individual autonomy versus an institution's laws regarding life support. No one wins.

Where was I? Oh yeah, pedicures!

So when I was leaving Sister Lourdes' office after finishing my peer review, she handed me a quote from her calendar:

"Be good to yourself. Do the little things that make you feel happy."

Weird coincidence. Did the Good Sister know I haven't done anything for myself lately (even sleep...this week has been one of the most sleep-deprived weeks on record). So I went back to my office to gather my notes for my next meeting and thought about this for a second. What makes me feel happy? Grabbing a post-it note, I made a quick list:

*Getting a pedicure.
*Exercising hard.
*Retail therapy (finding deals on sale is an extra endorphin boost).
*Sitting on my deck, listening to Jack FM (a Chicago radio station), enjoying the summer breeze.
*Sipping a glass of wine.
*Blogging in my usual cathartic way.
*Taking a bath.

So that is what I did. In that order. My toes are pretty and my feet are relaxed, I ran three miles, I browsed a couple stores (okay, and bought two pair of earrings), sat on my deck and relished the wonderful summer evening, imbibed in a glass of cabernet, and, well, here I am. My next activity includes a tub of water and a few splashes of bubble bath!

Tomorrow is all work, so I am trying to force myself to relax quickly and efficiently!

Relax! Go, go, go! Now!