Dear ,

Happy September! I am grateful to be in Tuscany this month leading two yoga retreats. It is a working vacation, but the best kind I could possibly hope for! If you ever "should" on yourself, read on to find out why it’s so important to stop!

Warmly,

I still viscerally feel my heartbreak the day I placed my Mom in a nursing home after her one too many falls with Parkinson’s.   I chose to research, visit, and relocate her so she would be taken care of in a safe environment. I chose to call her every day for almost 3 years because I wanted to stay connected. I chose to fly back to Illinois to break her out of jail, (as she called it) at least once a quarter because I knew how much it meant to her.

I didn’t do any of this because I am a saint or because I thought I should, I chose to do it because it made me feel good.  When we choose to do things, it comes from our hearts and it makes us feel good about ourselves because it’s the right thing to do.  When we should ourselves to do things, it comes from our heads, and we either feel bad about ourselves if we don’t do it or resentful if we do.

Shoulding on oursleves is a no-win situation for everyone.  We all have things we don’t want to do in life, but the place our decision comes from to do it makes all the difference.  Statements like, I should get organized…I should create a budget…I should call so and so...I should be more patient…I should ask for help … keep us stuck!