When you fly on an airplane there is always a safety speech before takeoff.  And the thing that always sticks with me is, “Please secure your own mask before assisting others.”

That one sentence hit home this weekend.  My parents needed my help.  My husband wasn’t feeling well.  My chonky cat was sick.  And I was limping around on crutches trying to help everyone except myself.

I pushed myself over the weekend.  I did more than I should have. My bad leg got a bit more “physical therapy” than was appropriate.  And I was very aware of that.  But I didn’t do more than I could handle.  I could have tried to do some cleaning at my parents’ house, but decided I wasn’t able.  I should have cooked myself some dinner on Sunday night, but ate cereal instead.  My parents would have liked me to stay longer, but I came home to give my cat antibiotics and make it to physical therapy this morning.  On a weekend when I was busy helping everyone else, I also made sure to take care of myself, at least to some extent.

The “secure your own mask” bit also hit close to home in a different way over the holidays.  It seems like every charity I’ve ever donated to was reaching out for an end of year contribution.  And I wanted to assist others.  But the cost of groceries and heating is making life challenging financially.  So rather than stretching myself to assist others as much as I would have liked, I smiled, politely said no, and proceeded with securing my own financial mask.  It won’t be this way every year.  And it’s ok to say no to charities if you’re not feeling particularly financially secure yourself.

I am hopeful that things will turn a corner for me soon.  I have survived a particularly challenging January.  But it’s only because I secured my own mask first.  Now I can proceed with assisting others.